Liverpool's Alberto Aquliani joins Juventus on loan
Liverpool’s Alberto Aquilani has returned to his native Italy with the news that he has joined Juventus on a season-long loan deal.
The midfielder joined the English Premier League outfit last August in a £20m move from Roma. Despite that lofty fee, the 26-year-old has failed to impress at Anfield owing to a lack of fitness and poor form. Though he has some ongoing minor injuries, he successfully completed a thorough medical test with the Serie A giants.
A statement released by Juve said that: "Agreement has been reached for the loan of Aquilani with the option to buy him at the end of the season for 16 million euros (£13m)."
When Aquilani joined, he was seen by many as a direct replacement for Xabi Alonso who left Liverpool to join Real Madrid last summer. However, he is much more of an attacking player rather than a holding midfielder. In the attacking midfield role, he faced stern competition in the form of captain Steven Gerrard and ended the 2009-10 season having made 26 appearances across all competitions while he scored just twice.
The player has also featured 11 times for the senior Italy national team. He made his debut in a friendly match against Turkey in November 2006, and featured in the UEFA 2008 European Football Championship as well as the qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, national coach Marcelo Lippi decided not to include him in the 23-man squad which took part in the South Africa tournament.
Aquilani has become Juve’s seventh signing of the summer as they aim to once again become a major force in Italian and European football. They finished a mere seventh last season and have failed to win the Scudetto since the 2002-03 season, but were runners-up in the 2008-09 campaign.
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