Matri joins Juve, Amauri departs

Serie A giants Juventus have confirmed the loan signing of Cagliari’s Alessandro Matri on the same day they saw Amauri join Parma.

Matri, 26, has joined Juve on a six-month loan deal with the option of a permanent transfer after scoring 11 goals in 22 appearances in the Serie A this season.

The Turin-based club have paid Cagliari 2.1 million pounds to secure the striker’s services for the remainder of the season and will part with 13.2 million pounds at the season’s end if they decide to sign him permanently.

As part of the Matri deal, Juve youngster Lorenzo Ariaudo will head to Cagliari.

The signing will offer manager Luigi Delneri more attacking options after he lost key forward Fabio Quagliarella to injury for the rest of the season.

Matri’s signing has also paved the way for the short-term departure of Amauri, who has joined fellow Serie A club Parma on a six-month loan deal.

Amauri’s agent, Ernesto Bronzetti, confirmed that the striker turned down approaches from Premier League clubs Fulham and West Brom, dubbing the clubs ‘not at his level’.

The towering forward enjoyed a previous stint at Parma between 2000 and 2003.

“Now it’s official. At 18.25 Amauri signed for Parma,” Juventus posted on their official Facebook profile.

“The club announce the temporary purchase from Juventus. Soon news on the presentation (of Amauri) will be announced.”

Amauri has struggled to score regularly since joining Juventus from Palermo in 2008, netting just 17 goals in 71 appearances.