Soccer-Inter pull out of Chivu negotiations

MILAN, July 4 (Reuters) - Inter Milan have dropped their interest in AS Roma defender Cristian Chivu, the Serie A champions said on Wednesday.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been in negotiations over the Romanian with a price tag of 18 million euros ($25 million) being quoted in Italian media.

"FC Internazionale announce that this morning a fax was sent to AS Roma saying that the club no longer intends to continue talks over Cristian Chivu," a statement said on the club Web site (www.inter.it).

Chivu was one of Roma's top performers last season when they finished second in Serie A but his relationship with manager Luciano Spalletti deteriorated after he failed to contact him to discuss his future.

The former Ajax player has already been replaced by Brazil defender Juan, who joined Roma from Bayer Leverkusen last month.