RIO DE JANEIRO, June 27 -- Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves has played down rumors of a possible move to Roma this summer.
The Italian Serie A giants have reportedly targeted the Brazilian after their on-loan shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny returned to Arsenal.
"I am contracted with Valencia until 2019 and I will return to training [next month] despite what people are saying," Alves told ESPN Brasil.
The 32-year-old has made 146 appearances for the Spanish club since his 2011 move from Almeria.
In 2016, he became the goalkeeper with the most penalty saves in Spain's top flight, breaking Andoni Zubizarreta's previous record of 16.
Alves said his immediate priority was to become Brazil's first-choice goalkeeper ahead of next year's World Cup in Russia.
"Every player wants to be a part of the World Cup and now there is a short period of time to be noticed before the tournament," he said. Enditem