Roma sporting director Monchi was open and direct as he responded to questions about Alisson Becker's proposed move to Liverpool on Thursday.

The Spaniard, speaking at the press conference to unveil summer signing Justin Kluivert, was asked a number of questions about the Brazilian - going on to explain in some depth his approach to the decision.

Monchi expressed his pleasure at being able to sign a player like Kluivert, and his hope that - while the exit of Alisson would be a blow - it would allow the club to build an even stronger squad in the long-term.

"Kluivert is an important signing for this club," Monchi said.

"We’ve signed a good player and he’ll become a great one in the future. He has immense quality and I’m convinced that he’ll become an important player in Roma’s future."

How difficult was it to bring him to Roma?

"It wasn’t an easy deal. Given the calibre of player he is and the amount of potential he has, lots of clubs were after him. It gets a lot easier when you get to the point where the player wants to come here. The first meeting we had was really important because it was a chance to show him that AS Roma was the perfect place for him at this stage in his career."

Are you happy with how the team is working during pre-season?

"Very much so. It was a great decision to train here in Trigoria and the players’ attitude has been very good. It’s gone exactly how the coach had in mind."

Was the offer from Liverpool too good for the club to turn down?

"First of all I want to say that nothing is finalised yet. Alisson is in Liverpool and we’re at a very advanced stage, but the deal is not done yet. If everything goes smoothly, it will be finalised soon. The job of a sporting director is not just to make signings but also to understand what’s best for the club at any given time. Economic factors are important for the club too, not just sporting factors. The offer was way above the market average – it was very significant. We weighed up the pros and cons and decided to speak to Liverpool in order to come to an agreement. Does it show a lack of ambition? Not for me. Our ambition remains unchanged. We’ve sold two important players, Radja [Nainggolan] and Alisson, but we’ve signed ten players very early in the window. We continue to work hard to find players and build a great team.

"What is ambition? For me, it’s about using your head – without that, everything gets out of control. I don’t want to do anything to cause this club problems. There are recent examples of clubs in this country that have come unstuck – some of the big Italian teams that have historically played an important role that are barred from playing in Europe or have squad limitations due to UEFA rulings. I came here to try to build the strongest team possible, not just for one year but for many years to come. I’m 100% convinced I can do that, but before you get to the tenth floor you have to climb all the other floors. Last year people were saying the same thing about [Mohamad] Salah, [Toni] Rudiger and [Leandro] Paredes, but then we had our best season in ten years, finished third and got to the Champions League semi-finals. It’s nice to talk about ambitions, but you need to use your head. Alisson is a top player, perhaps the best goalkeeper in the world. Last year people were saying that the departure of [Wojciech] Szczesny was the end of the world. Alisson had to complete a journey too. I know fans can be impatient, but at times clubs just need time."