Dzeko: Rome has become my home and a very important part of my life

January saw Dzeko's name persistently linked with a move to Premier League champions Chelsea - a move that never materialised.

And on Thursday the striker gave an interview to Bosnian site klix.ba, in which he discussed the speculation that surrounded him and made clear his delight at remaining with the Giallorossi.

Dzeko on Roma...

“Roma is my family and I’m happy to carry on playing for this club. There are many challenges ahead and we’ll do our best to achieve our goals. It’s going to be difficult, but we won't give up.”

Dzeko on speculation of a transfer to Chelsea...

“It’s true that talks were held but that’s all I can say about it. There was a lot of speculation, false information and even some quite comical claims made. I felt honoured by Chelsea’s interest as they’re a club that I respect greatly. There have been so many stories about me leaving Roma over the past few weeks and I’m still here.

"I’m happy to remain at Roma because Rome has become my home and a very important part of my life. I was given a fantastic welcome from my very first day in Rome and I’ll never forget that. I’ve enjoyed some of my happiest moments here. On top of all that, it’s here that I’ve experienced the joy of fatherhood – for the first time when my daughter Una was born, and afterwards with my son Dani. This city is now a part of my life and always will be.”

Dzeko on Roma’s current form...

”The truth is that we haven’t celebrated a win for a long time, which is very frustrating for us. There have been a few games where we didn’t get much luck but I believe we have the strength and the ability to get out of this rut. We’re all working hard to get back to winning ways as soon as possible but it’s not easy. We have the quality here and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before when we come through this negative spell and start winning games again. I believe lots of great times lie ahead and we can succeed in achieving our goals if we all believe we’ll soon turn things around.”

Dzeko on his own form this season...

"Compared to last season, when I was the league’s top scorer, this year is not so good on a personal level, but I'm more interested in the team’s success than personal glory. I can’t think about myself when I'm aware that I'm part of the team. We celebrate together after a win and hurt together after a defeat.”