Carl Valeri to transfer

My favourite Canberra Times journo Merryn Sherwood had the scoop on the movements of Carl Valeri. Read on in case you missed it.

Carl off to Serie A? Prefer he went to Celtic but Serie A would be a great move for him.

SOCCER
By Merryn Sherwood
Canberra's Carl Valeri has at least four Serie A Italian soccer clubs interested in signing him for next season, but the 5million euro transferprice that his Serie B club Grosseto is demanding is proving an obstacle.

Italian websites reported earlier this month that Serie A team CagliariCalcio based in the capital city of Sardinia, Cagliari was trying to secure the 23-year-old for the upcoming season. All three teams that gained promotion into the league this year, Chievo Verona, Bologna and Lecce, were also interested.

But Grosseto is demanding a 5million euro transfer fee, just over $8million Australian, for the former Canberra junior.

Cagliari has expressed the strongest interest so far mainly because its new coach Max Allegri has already coached Valeri for two years in Italy.

Allegri coached Valeri at SPAL when he was loaned there from Inter Milan in 2004, and then took Valeri to Grosseto when he took up the manager's position there. Another Italian football website, tuttomercatoweb.com, quotes Allegrias saying Valeri is ''the No1 goal for Cagliari in the midfield''. Cagliari president Massimo Cellinowas quoted on another website as saying he hoped to drive down the asking price by including players in part exchange.Valeri's father Walter, a former Capital Football president, said his son hoped to secure a transfer before the cut-off at the end of August.

''I've spoken to Carl and he's hoping to move this season, and he's spoken to his manager and he said Cagliari were definitely interested,'' Walter said.''So he just has to wait now and see what happens. But it's what he's wanted for a long time, so hopefully it works out.'

'When Valeri was in Australia for the Socceroos' World Cup qualifier games earlier this year he told The Canberra Times he hoped to play for a Serie A team this year, after captaining Grosseto up to Serie B from the third division Serie C over the past two years.
''I've been there three years and I hope it's time,'' Carl said last month.

''Unfortunately that isn't up to me, there has been a little bit of interest, but I'm not sure what might happen.

''I'd be sad to go, but at the same time I think there isn't much more I can do for Grosseto.
''I've played almost 100 games, captained the club up to Serie B, I think I've achieved everything I can there.'

'Valeri originally went to Italy as a teenager on a contract with Serie A giant Inter Milan, but was loaned out to SPAL and then Grosseto in 2005.
Grosseto then took full ownership of his contract last season, the club's first season in Serie B.

Valeri has two years left on his contract with Grosseto and started pre-season training with the club in Tuscany this week.

The transfer period will close at the end of August, when the 2008-09 Serie A season starts, and open again in January.