Two days after Diego Milito swapped Genoa CFC for FC
Internazionale Milano Thiago Motta has followed suit, with three
promising Inter youngsters moving the other way as a makeweight for
the Brazilian midfielder.
Heavy traffic
Milito arrived at the Giuseppe Meazza on Monday in a swap deal with
Italy Under-21 forward Robert Acquqafresca and the clubs have been
back to the negotiating table again, once more trading proven
experience for youthful promise. Inter's latest old head comes in
the shape of the 26-year-old Motta, who has signed a four-year deal
with the Serie A titleholders, while midfielder Francesco Bolzoni
(20), centre-back Leonardo Bonucci (22) and striker Riccardo
Meggiorini have all joined Genoa.
Rewarding move
Motta departs the Rossoblu just 12 months after arriving from Club
Atlético de Madrid. That switch ended an injury-ravaged end to a
decade in Spain, collecting two Liga titles and the 2005/06 UEFA
Champions League with FC Barcelona. The move across the Balearic
Sea has brought an upturn in fortunes, however, Motta scoring six
goals in 27 Serie A appearances last term and ultimately attracting
the interest of UEFA Champions League hopefuls Inter.
More new faces
Genoa, meanwhile, are among the UEFA Europa League entrants and
they continued their squad rebuilding by bringing in striker Sergio
Floccari from Atalanta BC and Ivan Fatić from AC Chievo Verona,
both for undisclosed fees. The 27-year-old Floccari scored 12 goals
in 33 league games last term when Montenegrin U21 international
Fatić, 20, had loan spells in Serie B with Vicenza Calcio and US
Salernitana Sport. Chievo will retain half of the playing licence
of the defender who was, by coincidence, on Inter's books until the
start of the month.