UPDATE 1-Soccer-Roma fans sign petition urging owners to sell

(Adds Italpetroli/Roma statement pars 8, 9)

ROME, April 30 (Reuters) - A petition by AS Roma fans urging the owners to sell the Italian soccer club to George Soros has been signed by more than 15,000 people after reports that the billionaire financier had pulled out of talks.

Majority shareholder Italpetroli, controlled by the Sensi family, said last week it had met a representative of Inner Circle Sports, a global sports investment bank connected to the 77-year-old Soros.

Media reports have said Soros has ended talks because of a lack of progress. Lawyers working for Soros refused to comment.

Many fans believe the Sensis have taken Roma as far as they can and that new investment is the only way the club can take a step up and compete with the powerhouses of European soccer.

"Naturally fans like me have started to dream and hope for a great Roma like the great sides of Europe, competitive on every front. Our hope is that the Sensi family sells Roma to George Soros," read the petition, one of the 10 most active on popular website www.petitiononline.com.

A source close to the situation said Hungarian-born Soros had offered 270 million euros ($421 million) and that there was a conflict between the family over whether to sell, with chief executive Rosella Sensi reluctant to do so.

The source also said shareholder Unicredit had written to the Sensis urging a sale. A spokesman told media the bank was an "interested spectator".

A joint statement on Wednesday from Italpetroli and AS Roma said there was no rift within the family.