Roma director of sport Monchi has insisted that Kevin Strootman's imminent transfer to Marseille was a mutual decision by all parties involved.

The Dutch midfielder only signed a five-year deal with Roma last year, but is expected to complete a £22m deal to the Ligue 1 club in the next few days.

Strootman has consistently nailed down a starting spot at the Serie A runners-up over the past five seasons, and Monchi has revealed that the move was certainly not forced by the club.

"Last season Kevin played 42 games, he's a great player, but it was a decision we all made together: club, coach and player," Monchi told Sky Sport Italia.

"I don't want to get into the technical, economic or tactical issues. If you are at Roma, it's because you want to be. Nobody put a gun to his head telling him to leave.

"When this situation emerged, we all decided to go forward with it."

The 28-year-old joined Roma in a £15m deal in 2013 and has gone on to make 102 appearances for the club, scoring 10 times.