Roma chief Daniele Prade insists they had a deal in place for Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu.

"Mutu was a Roma player in every way," explained Prade. "He had agreed economic terms with us and had also given up on an extra £800,000 of his four-year contract so we could match the price-tag proposed by Pantaleo Corvino.

"It was all confirmed, then the whole thing just collapsed."