Pirlo drops MLS hint; Lazio in ambitious bid for Van Persie

Pirlo drops MLS hint

Juventus star Andrea Pirlo admits he could move to Major League Soccer after the current season comes to an end.

The veteran midfielder is set to lead the Bianconeri in the Champions League final against Barcelona, where the Serie A side are 12/5 to win outright.

Pirlo appears to be considering his options at the moment and he admits he could be moving to MLS in the summer transfer window.

“If we win it I might move abroad because Juventus will be my last team in Italy,” Pirlo told the Times of India.

“MLS could be an idea, but for the moment I don’t have any thoughts about it; Juve is the only thing on my mind.

“But I won’t stop playing, I’ll go on as long as I have the same great desire to keep training every day.”

The 36-year-old has another year left on his deal in Turin, but the club probably would not stand in his way if he decides to leave this summer.

Lazio in ambitious bid for Van Persie

Italian daily newspaper Il Messaggero is reporting that Lazio are considering a summer move on Manchester United striker Robin van Persie.

The Biancocelesti will be forced to recruit a new striker if Miroslav Klose decides to leave and the Dutch forward is the number one target for chairman Claudio Lotito.

Van Persie has a contract until June 2016 with Manchester United, but everything suggests that he will be leaving the club this summer.

The 32-year-old footballer could be available for some €15 million in the summer transfer window, which appears to be well within Lazio’s price range.

The Biancocelesti are prepared to offer Van Persie a four-year deal worth €4 million per campaign, although it is believed the striker would require at least €5 million per season.

Having struggled through injury and poor form, the experienced forward only scored 10 goals in 27 Premier League appearances last term.

Coentrao linked with Portugal return

Portuguese daily newspaper A Bola understands that Real Madrid full-back Fabio Coentrao is one of the players on Sporting Lisbon radar.

The latest reports suggest that Benfica coach Jorge Jesus is set to take over the reigns at Estadio Jose Alvalade after refusing to take a pay cut in order to remain with the Eagles.

And the boss has ambitious plans for his new club as he hopes to lure the likes of Fabio Coentrao, Maxi Pereira and Oscar Cardozo to Sporting.

These are all players that Jesus coached at Benfica and he will now attempt to persuade them to join the Eagles’ fierce rivals.

While Maxi Pereira is available on a free transfer, Fabio Coentrao is widely expected to leave Real Madrid this summer.

However, Paraguayan forward Oscar Cardozo has enjoyed a very successful debut season with Trabzonspor and luring him back to Portugal will be no easy task.

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