Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo has confirmed that his club went after Alberto Gilardino recently.
The Canadian side have been desperate to find a replacement for retired goalscorer Marco Di Vaio this off-season and it looked as though 32-year old Gilardino could have been that man.
Saputo said Montreal had held talks with Gilardino regarding a potential loan from Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande before Fiorentina made a late, and subsequently successful, play for his services.
"We've always said that if we get the right player at the right price with the right attitude, coming here for the right reasons, we will take a look at him," Saputo told local Montreal press.
"And we're not going to go after players just for the sake of going after players because other teams are going after players. It's got to make sense.
"It's hard to replace a Di Vaio not only for what he did on the field, but also what he did off the field, the attitude, the way he came to Montreal and what he gave the organization.
"And it's difficult. And we thought that Gilardino was the right player."
