DiBenedetto seals deal to buy Roma

The announcement ends years of takeover speculation surrounding the indebted Italian club which is now poised to become the only Serie A side with foreign ownership, unlike the much courted English Premier League.

"Good things don't come easy," Di Benedetto told a news conference at a law firm in Boston. "I never felt that I would give up on the quest for this team."

"If you look around professional football today, there are a number of players who grew up in greater Rome," DiBenedetto said during a news conference held jointly with UniCredit chief operating officer Paolo Fiorientino.

"It's our goal to have more of them playing for AS Roma. I think we will put in place the people who will make it attractive for these young men to sign with us."

"Our hope and our objective is to be as successful in Rome as Mr. Berlusconi was with his team in Milan," DiBenedetto added, referring to AC Milan owner and Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Cash-strapped Roma are now managed by former player Vincenzo Montella following coach Claudio Ranieri's resignation in February.