Vialli: No Sampdoria link (CliveMason/Allsport)

Garrone, head of one Italy's biggest oil companies ERF, is putting together a consortium to buy out the current owner of the Serie B club Enrico Mantovani.

'If this deal is completed this will be the solution that I have dreamed of and which will bring a smile to Sampdoria,' Mantovani told the daily Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday.

Sampdoria are in their third successive season in Serie B and currently lie in 17th place after six rounds of games.

Mantovani inherited the club from his father Paolo who had created the successful side of the early nineties which won the Italian title in 1991 and the next season reached the final of the European Cup where they lost to Barcelona.

But Mantovani junior has been a reluctant president and recently formally stood down from the role, although he remains majority shareholder.

There had been suggestions that Vialli, who along with Roberto Mancini was a key member of Vujadin Boskov's side in the early nineties, could return to the club in a behind-the-scenes role.

But Gazzetta said Vialli, currently coach of English first division side Watford, had denied any interest in such a move and a senior source at Sampdoria told Reuters such a scenario was not on the agenda.

'We know Vialli has no interest in such a role. He has great affection for Sampdoria but we know he is fully focused on his work at Watford and we have contacted him to assure him that these rumours have not come from us,' said the source.

Vialli was approached by Sampdoria after he was sacked as coach of premier league club Chelsea but insisted at the time that his mind was focused purely on his coaching career.

'About eight months ago our president had lunch with him and offered him such a position, but Gianluca made it perfectly clear that he wanted to work as a coach,' said the source.