Following a number of rumours surrounding Italian soccer player Alessandro Del Piero and his possible move to Major League Soccer, Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo restated certain facts.

“We have met with Del Piero’s group on two separate occasions (April 2011 in Montreal and June 2011 in Turin) to evaluate the potential for Alessandro to finish his career in North America and in Montreal. We were advised by his group in August 2011 that Alessandro would rather focus on New York or Los Angeles. There has been no discussion since then. There is no truth to the rumour that we want the player at all cost. Although we feel that Alessandro would have been a good addition to our club and the city, we respect his decision to look elsewhere in MLS. With the knowledge of soccer in the city, Montreal deserves a Designated Player but the conditions must be right.”