ROME, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Monte dei Paschi CEO Guido Bastianini told directors at a board meeting on Monday the bank needs 1.5-2.0 billion euros ($1.7-$2.3 billion) in cash to avoid breaching capital requirements early next year, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Bastianini mentioned both a rights issue and an Additional Tier 1 (AT1) issue as options to fill the gap, adding however the AT1 bond was problematic due to its high cost. Monte dei Paschi declined to comment.