"It was a positive meeting, although only a preliminary one," the Roma official was quoted as saying by Calcio Italia magazine on Friday.

"There are no reasons to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic and we will meet with them again next week.

"They are a serious outfit and are interested in the player, but they have not presented an offer," he added.

Barcelona finished the season empty-handed after losing the Primera Liga title to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the last match, missing out on a chance to grab their third successive league triumph.

Their shaky defense shares responsibility for the disappointing season and as a result, the Catalan giants are aiming to bolster their backline.

Chivu has enjoyed a fine season with Roma, helping the Giallorossi occupy second place in the Serie A table.

Roma have signed Bayer Leverkusen Brazilian defender Juan, the transfer which could pave the way for Chivu to make a switch to Barcelona.