Empoli hitman Francesco Tavano has officially completed his move to Spanish giants Valencia, announced the club.
Tavano hit the headlines this season with 19 Serie A goals, making a large contribution to their safety from relegation.
He had been linked with Juventus, Fiorentina, Milan and Inter – his favoured option, being a self-avowed life-long Nerazzurri supporter.
However, the Italian sides chose different avenues and so he has been sold to La Liga contenders Valencia.
The 27-year-old has been compared to Enrico Chiesa for his shooting style and played for Pisa and Rondinella before joining Empoli in 2001-02.
Valencia director of sport Amedeo Carboni, a former Roma star, personally guided the move to a successful conclusion. No financial details about the deal have been confirmed.
The Spanish side hasn't had too much luck with Italian players recently. Stefano Fiore, Bernardo Corradi and Marco Di Vaio all failed to settle in and sought loan moves back to the peninsula.
Inter’s Obafemi Martins is close to signing for Newcastle United. "Eighty per cent of the deal with Newcastle is completed,” he said.
The Nigerian has been hotly linked with the Premiership side following the arrivals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, plus Hernan Crespo, and today confirmed that a transfer is on the horizon.
"I'm close to moving to Newcastle, despite all the initial delays," the 21-year-old confirmed to BBC Sport.
"I have long since wished to play in the Premiership and I am pleased with the prospect of concluding the deal in the next couple of days.”
The former Nerazzurri youth team product has been paired with numerous clubs, but his agent Patrick Bastianelli is understood to have held Toon talks over the weekend.
Reports suggest that Inter and Newcastle have agreed on a £10.9m fee following boss Glenn Roeder’s specific request to have Martins at his disposal.
发表于 2006-8-17 08:43:15
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