Roma hope to begin work on Stadio della Roma in March 2017 - Pallotta

Roma president James Pallotta says work on the club's new stadium should commence in March after some "self-inflicted" delays.

The Giallorossi unveiled plans for a new 52,500-seater stadium almost two years ago, yet work has yet to commence on an arena which was initially due to be ready in 2017.

Pallotta says that the delay is partly down to the Serie A club, but he is optimistic that final approval will be granted in just a few months' time and that the diggers will then move in.

"I think that we've had a few delays, maybe a little self-inflicted, but also with the change of mayors and what's been happening in the city but we're still hopeful that in March we should be getting approval," he told the club's official website. 

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"We're ready to go. I'm a little frustrated that we don't have shovels in the ground already. I'm actually frustrated that we didn't have shovels in the ground when we first bought the team, but we know it takes a little time."

Work is expected to take up to two years, meaning the stadium could still be ready in time for the start of the 2019-20 season, once the final bureaucratic hurdles have been crossed.

"As usual in Italy, we work through a lot of problems and difficulties on the administrative and bureaucratic aspects, but the project is now going through the final stages of approval according to an existing and applied state law," Roma's CEO Umberto Gandini said.

"It is one of the most important, if not the most important, projects in southern Europe that you are going to see in the next few years. It is amazing. It is a huge investment and it is going to be a statement of this city -- of the country -- that cannot be missed."

The venue will incorporate a cinema, shopping and training facilities as well as bars and restaurants with the entire project estimated to cost around €1 billion.

"The plans for the stadium and the entertainment complex around it look incredible," Pallotta added. "Anybody who has seen them around the world has been pretty much blown away at what we're trying to accomplish here."