Buffon on the brink of a fairytale return to Parma on a two-year deal

Gianluigi Buffon is on the cusp of a sensational return to Parma, turning down Barcelona to sign a two-year deal with the Serie B club that could see him play until he is 45.

Buffon played for Parma from 1995 until 2001, when he left for Juventus in a £32million move that was then a record fee for a goalkeeper – arriving in Turin to replace Edwin van der Sar.

Now, according to Sky Sports in Italy, Buffon is set to rejoin his old side after leaving Juve and taking time to consider the array of options at his disposal. He has also chosen to stay in Italy for family reasons and is due to put pen to paper on a two-year deal imminently.

Buffon is targeting promotion back to Serie A with Parma, who finished bottom of Italy’s top tier in 2020-21 with a miserly total of 20 points.

He is also remarkably hoping to land a place in Italy’s 2022 World Cup team for the tournament in Qatar. The 43-year-old isn’t in Roberto Mancini’s side for Euro 2020 but has 176 Italy caps to his name and won the World Cup in 2006.

After leaving Juventus following the expiration of his contract, Buffon will join a setup with some familiar faces from his former team.

Javier Ribalta, once of Manchester United, is Parma’s technical director and previously worked for Juventus while one of Buffon’s former team-mates is Parma’s manager, in Enzo Maresca.

Buffon previously played 220 games for Parma and won 3 trophies in 1999 – the UEFA Cup, the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup.

See also  BREAKING! GFA sacks CK Akonnor and all his assistants

While Buffon has an obvious affection for Parma, he arrives with assurances over being the No 1 goalkeeper and turned down offers from across Europe.

Barcelona were keen to bring him to Spain with manager Ronald Koeman looking to make the most of swooping for free agents as the Nou Camp club count the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also had an offer from Besiktas in Turkey but, barring a late change of heart, he is set to stay in Italian football. Parma are eager to announce the deal officially and hope to do so in the coming days.

WhatsApp Job & Scholarship Alert

  1. To get daily Job and Scholarship Alerts on Whatsapp, Join Our WhatsApp Group via the link below.

NOTE: PLEASE IF YOU’RE ON ANY OF OUR WHATSAPP GROUPS, DON’T JOIN THIS ONE

CLICK HERE TO JOIN WHATSAPP GROUP

 

Take Note

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD AN APPLICANT PAY MONEY TO ANYONE IN GETTING A JOB WE HAVE PUBLISHED 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here