Roma beat Premier League clubs to Sassuolo forward Gregoire Defrel

Sassuolo forward Gregoire Defrel has moved to Roma on a season-long loan deal.

Defrel has been linked with several Premier League clubs since the end of last season, with Liverpool, West Ham United, Southampton and Watford all holding varying levels of interest in the 26-year-old.

However, he has opted to remain in Italy and sign a deal with Roma, although he initially makes the switch on a temporary basis despite a five-year contract being penned.

It has been suggested that while Roma will pay €5m (£4.48m) for the first year, the total outlay could reach €23m (£20.62m) if certain targets are met by the player.

The transfer sees French attacker Defrel reunited with Eusebio di Francesco, a manager he worked under during his time at Sassuolo.

Defrel leaves Citta del Tricolore having scored 18 goals in 61 league appearances during his two-year stay.