Photo by lucam
As we enter July, the summer transfer market is sure to ratchet up to a fever pitch. Over the next few weeks we will focus on the top targets who may potentially make a move to or with Serie A. Today we focus on one of Italy brightest young stars, Giuseppe Rossi.
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Rossi began his professional career when Manchester United purchased his contract from Parma as a 17 year old. As a teenager, he was perhaps the most exciting prospect in the United States player pool, so people were a bit surprised when he didn’t blossom right away for United.
But blossom he certainly has. After joining Villareal in 2007, his game has improved every year and Rossi is now a bonafide superstar in the making. This season he scored 32 goals in 56 appearances for the Spanish side and is worth the millions many thought he would be worth when he was just that kid from Jersey who American soccer fans were begging to play for their national team.
Now it seems inevitable his career will continue an upward trajectory with a bigger club, with teams from all over Europe being linked with the striker. Rossi’s name has been mentioned as a potential target for nearly every club with money to spend, including the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Tottenham. A couple of weeks it looked like Barca was going to be the place, but that deal has apparently collapsed, leaving Rossi with many other options to choose from should Villareal get the price they are looking for.
Rossi has always professed his love for the Azzurri and has been quite open about wanting to play regularly for Italy. To achieve that goal, it would seem to me that a move to one of Serie A’s biggest clubs would make the most sense. But that possibility seems less likely each passing day.
Juventus had been the club most linked to Rossi, and they even made it known publicly how much they coveted him. But the Old Lady seems to have her sights set on Sergio Aguero and have said they would not sign more than one high-priced player. Also, Juventus can not offer Rossi Champions League football, something a player moving for big money usually looks for. He would easily become one of Juve’s top attackers but that door is rapidly closing. Should Juve fail in their attempt to sign Aguero, they may turn their attention back to Rossi.
Juventus is certainly not the only team on the peninsula who would love the services of this brilliant young Italian goalscorer, but right now they seem to be the only team showing any real interest. Fans of the Azzurri would love nothing better than to see Rossi take his game to the next level in Serie A. There is still a chance that might happen, if not a smaller chance than we once may have thought. While Rossi may not be the transfer target most likely to wind up in Serie A, he certainly is one whose international dreams may benefit most by making such a move.
