The Montreal Impact appear to be close to acquiring another player from Serie A club Bologna.
Swiss international midfielder Blerim Dzemaili told Swiss media outlet SRF this week that he’ll move to Montreal from Bologna, which is owned by Impact owner Joey Saputo.
Dzemaili, 30, joined Bologna this summer after a two-year stint with Turkish giants Galatasaray, the final season of which he spent with Italian club Genoa. It was reported earlier this summer that he’d join the Impact via Bologna on a three-year contract beginning in the summer of 2017. Dzemaili didn’t specify to SRF when a potential move to Montreal would happen.
“I am currently in Bologna, then I will certainly play two or three years at Montreal Impact in MLS,” he said when asked about his future.
Dzemaili has spent most of his career in Italy, playing for Torino, Parma and Napoli before moving to Galatasaray in 2014. Born in Macedonia before moving to Switzerland at an early age, Dzemaili has been capped 52 times for his country. The former FC Zurich man was on the Swiss squads at the 2006 and 2014 World Cups and at Euro 2016, where he started all four of his country’s matches.
Montreal have a history of acquiring players from Bologna, signing striker Matteo Mancosu on loan from the Italian club earlier this summer and signing former striker Marco Di Vaio from the club in May 2012.
The Impact, who declined to comment on the report on Tuesday, open the Eastern Conference Championship series against Toronto FC on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at the Olympic Stadium.
