AC
Milan sign Pescara forward Gianluca Lapadula
AC Milan have beaten Napoli
to make signing of Gianluca Lapadula their first signing of the summer,
according to the Pescara striker.
The
26-year-old, who scored 30 goals in Pescara's successful promotion from Serie B
-- including in the playoff -- last season was playing in Italy's third
division just two years ago, scoring 21 goals for Teramo.
He
arrived in Milan for a medical on Friday morning, announcing that a dream was
coming true.
"I
strongly wanted to join Milan," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "The negotiations were lightning
fast. I'd like to thank [Milan's general manager Adriano] Galliani and the
president [Silvio] Berlusconi for their faith, and I wish the president a
speedy recovery [from heart surgery]."
Lapadula
is expected to sign a five-year contract with Milan after passing his medical
and he will move for a reported €9 million.
Lapadula,
whose mother is from Peru, had attracted the interest of Napoli and Genoa among
other Italian clubs for his goal-scoring feats, but Milan have beaten off the
competition to sign him.
With
the future of the Rossoneri still in doubt, as negotiations continue with aconsortium of Chinese investors keen to buy current president Silvio
Berlusconi's majority share, the move may indicate a preference on the part of
Berlusconi not to sell.
He
has recently stated that he will invest only in homegrown talent if he keeps
control of the Milanese club, and Lapadula fits the bill.
Reports
- Gianluca Lapadula on the verge of AC Milan move
Gianluca Lapadula, Serie B's top scorer last season is said to be on the verge of
a move to Italian giants AC Milan,
The transfer would come as a significant coup for the struggling
powerhouse of Italian football considering
Juventus, Napoli, Sassuolo, Genoa and a whole host of foreign clubs were
fighting it out for the Pescara hitman’s signature.
Italian sources Sky, Mediaset, Tuttomercatoweb and Gazzetta
dello Sport were all reporting that Lapadula had chosen Milan, and the
Rossonerri’s official website confirmed that he had his medical
this morning at around 8.30 a.m local time. Lapadula is expected to sign
his contract soon at Casa Milan, the club headquarters.
Pescara had already agreed on terms with all the
above-mentioned clubs, and the decision was left to Lapadula, who has certainly
taken his time in making up his mind. Napoli were favourites for his signature
until Milan swooped in at the last minute and got their man.
Silvio Berlusconi, Milan’s eccentric owner is said to have been
particularly keen on seeing this transfer go through and gave his nod for the
club to proceed. The Chinese consortium that Milan are in advanced negotiations
with regarding the sale of the club are also believed to have been
consulted.
Sky reports that a fee of around €10 million has been agreed
between the clubs. If this transfer were to go through, it would make Lapadula
Milan’s second signing of the summer after 29-year-old left back Leonel
Vangioni arrived from River Plate on a free transfer.
Milan are now
reported to be pursuing Marko Pjaca, the 21-year-old Dinamo Zagreb player
currently making an impression with Croatia at the ongoing Euro 2016 in
France. Any bid for him though is said to be dependent on the departure of
French talent M’baye Niang, possibly to the Premier League.
How Lapadula’s potential arrival would impact the future of
Carlos Bacca, Milan’s Colombian star forward remains to be seen. What seems certain
is that Milan have netted themselves one of the most sought after forwards in
Italy.
Lapadula scored 30 goals in 43 appearances in Serie
B (including the playoffs) and will be keen to now prove himself in the
top flight Italian league.