Genoa confirm Criscito sale to Zenit and look to replace him with Mantovani: Serie A news
Russian Champions, Zenit Saint Petersburg, have confirmed the signing of Genoa full-back, Domenico Criscito, for a fee in the region of 10-million-pounds.
The Italian international has signed a five-year deal with the Bomzhi and will officially join the club on July 1st, 2011.
The 24-year-old’s transfer was surrounded by a lot of uncertainty in the previous week and reports in the media suggested that a deal has fallen through because the player failed to agree personal terms with the Russian outfit.
However, earlier this morning, Zenit confirmed that they have captured their target and will be unveiled soon.
The player’s agent revealed that his client is delighted to join an ambitious club managed by one of the best managers in the world, Luciano Spalletti.
The agent said, “Domenico chose Zenit because the club is a very ambitious one, it`s a top club, with players from European national teams, and a club which has already accomplished a lot on the international level. Another really
important thing is that the club`s head coach is http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Luciano-c22574 Spalletti, one of the best coaches in the world. Criscito was influenced by the fact that Luciano really wanted to see him in Zenit,”
Criscito also attracted interest from Italian giants, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Napoli-c40003, but the defender wanted regular taste of first-team football rather than warming up on the benches, so he opted for Zenit instead.
The defender re-joined the Rossoblu in 2009 and established himself as one of the best full-backs in the country.
Reports in the media suggest that Genoa have made Chievo Verona defender, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Andrea-Mantovani-c5689, as one of their primary transfer targets after Criscito’s sale to the Russian side.
Chievo have valued the versatile defender for approximately 5-million-Euros and Genoa will have to match the figure to take him away from the club.
The two clubs are expected to hold talks in the near future and with the transfer window set to re-open on July 1st, 2011, Genoa will look to finalize a deal as soon as possible.
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