Roma candidates include ex-Chelsea and Monaco directors | OneFootball

Roma are in need of a new sporting director to replace Tiago Pinto, with Paul Mitchell, Florian Maurice, Christopher Vivell and ex-Milan chief Ricky Massara among the candidates.

Tiago Pinto had been under contract until the end of the season, but announced he would be leaving straight after the January transfer window had come to a close.

The search is on to find a replacement ahead of the summer and Footmercato suggest club owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin are looking abroad with a series of meetings set up.

Of the candidates, the only Italian is Frederic Massara, who already had an experience at Roma from 2011 to 2019, then was director of sport at Milan under Paolo Maldini from 2019 to 2023.

Other options include Vivell, a 37-year-old German who had just seven months as technical director at Chelsea from December 2022 to July 2023.

He previously worked at Hoffenheim, RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

Englishman Paul Mitchell is 42 years old and again spent time in the Red Bull network of clubs, before his three years as director of sport at AS Monaco.

French Stade Rennais chief Maurice was previously a head scout at Olympique Lyonnais before taking the technical director role at Rennes in the summer of 2020.

Maurice had been heading for the exit in November before changing his mind, but can be coaxed by the Roma job.