Empoli full-back Alberto Massacci claims he is set to join
Premier League champions Manchester United after talks with Sir
Alex Ferguson.
The 16-year-old has still to make his Empoli debut but is
regarded as a genuine talent and long-term prospect for the English
champions.
United have been criticised in the past for signing young
Italian talent before they can be secured to contracts by their
respective clubs, as was the case with Federico Macheda and
Giuseppe Rossi.
Massacci, if reports are to be believed, has already had a
medical with United and is to fly over to Manchester on Sunday to
thrash out the finer details of the deal.
"When Sir Alex Ferguson rang me up, I couldn't believe it," he
told the Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I had an hour-long conversation with him, in English. He seemed
a humble person and nobody from the club made the pressure of an
historic side weigh on my shoulders.
"In life a chance like this only comes past you once, so you've
got to grab it with both hands. It isn't an easy decision aged 16
to leave home, family and friends, but I don't want to have
regrets."
