Monchi pleased with Defrel addition as he targets Mahrez alternatives

The Spaniard acknowledged that, after a third bid for the Leicester City winger received a negative response, he was now turning his attention to targets other than Mahrez.

Monchi began the press conference by discussing his thinking behind the signing of Defrel, who joined from Sassuolo earlier in the summer.

“I’m very grateful to Gregoire for the desire he showed to come to Roma," Monchi said. "There were big English clubs interested in him too, but he said no to everyone in order to come to Roma.

"I wish him all the best and we all hope he can perform as well as we expect him to.”

How big a say did Eusebio Di Francesco have in this signing?

“Since I’ve been at Roma I’ve continued working the way I’ve always done in my career as a sporting director. The coach doesn’t have excessive influence – we work together to choose the type of player we need and that’s what the sporting director works on.

"We were looking for a player that could play as both a striker and a winger. We had plenty of options but we were all in agreement. Eusebio knew him and I had been following him since my time at Sevilla. When that’s the case, why make life more difficult for yourself?”

What do you expect from the short trip to Spain?

“I hope to see evolution and development compared with what I saw in the USA. I want the team to continue learning the coach’s ideas. In pre-season friendlies, the most important thing is how the team is evolving rather than the result. If you can get a few victories on top of that, all the better.”

Are there any updates on Riyad Mahrez? Are you really interested in Juan Cuadrado?

“I’m an optimist in all aspects of life. Roma is doing everything possible to sign the player. If my memory serves me right, the last offer – that was so widely discussed – would have been the highest transfer fee ever paid by this club. We’re not holding anything back in our attempts to sign the player, but right now we’re not expecting a positive response.

"At the same time, we’re working on other things. The club is close to the limit right now in terms of the effort we’re putting in and I truly believe that the offer we’ve made is a very significant one. Whether we reach an agreement with Leicester, or another team, we will have no regrets.”

"The club is close to the limit right now in terms of the effort we’re putting in and I truly believe that the offer we’ve made [for Mahrez] is a very significant one. Whether we reach an agreement with Leicester, or another team, we will have no regrets.”

- Monchi

Do you have anything to say about Morgan De Sanctis and the slogans written about him?

“I don’t have anything to say about the second part of that question – I’m much more interested in Morgan on a professional level. The club has made a great signing bringing him in. He’s an intelligent person with a lot of knowledge and experience. I’m really happy because he’ll contribute ideas and help the team, and by that I mean the group working towards the only objective in my mind.”

Are you able to raise your offer for Mahrez? Do you believe he wants to join? Could the offer increase if players leave?

“The offer we’ve made doesn’t take into account potential departures. That wouldn’t change anything. As I’ve said, I’m happy with the efforts the club is putting in to sign the player. You’ve been here longer than me but I doubt you can recall any offers in excess of €30m. It’s a big offer. As for the will of the player, he’s expressed that publicly but I think he’s also showing respect for his club, as is right. The only solution here is Leicester deciding to accept or reject Roma’s offer.”

The league begins in 12 days. Do you want to have a winger signed by 20 August or would you happily take one on 31 August?

“Our thinking is that it’s better to get things done today than tomorrow. That said, I think that the team has the necessary attributes to do well in the first few games. I’m intending to strengthen the team as soon as possible.”

There’s been some talk that Juventus are going to swoop for Kevin Strootman...

“There has been no contact to that effect. We’re focused solely on finalising the construction of the team with the arrival of a winger. There is no chance that we discuss anything apart from the player we’re trying to sign.”

You attended training this morning alongside Francesco Totti. Was it strange not to see him out there?

“Obviously it was strange to be by Francesco’s side instead of watching him out on the field. But at the same time, it was nice because it reminded me that soon I’ll be able to work with him. He will be with us officially soon.

"He wanted to see how the team was doing and how training was progressing and he seemed right at home within the new dynamic. In my eyes, he’s a fantastic signing for the team, even if it’s not as a player.”