MONTREAL – Is Bologna’s Marco Di Vaio set to become Montreal Impact owner's Joey Saputo’s prized catch?
The Impact have made no secret of their quest for a high-profile Designated Player, and swirling rumors in the past couple days point to the former Italian international topping the club’s wish list.
“Di Vaio is one possibility we’re looking into,” Impact sporting director Nick De Santis told reporters on Wednesday. “There’s no confirmation, and again, those are rumors. … Di Vaio is under contract. We’re interested in him, as well as in three or four other players. We’ll see who manages to come to Montreal.”
The prolific striker, capped 14 times by Italy, including in the 2004 European Championship, will at the very least address the numerous rumors surrounding his future on Friday morning in a press conference in Bologna. The 35-year-old Di Vaio has scored more than 130 goals over an 18-year career in Serie A, and leads Bologna in scoring this season with 10 strikes.
De Santis insists he has not met with Di Vaio or the front office at Bologna FC, pointing out the player still belongs to his club until 2013.
“Of course, we’re keeping in touch through someone working for us who talks to other people,” De Santis explained, “but again, those talks are still wide open and we can’t confirm anything.”
Various media outlets have already been speculating on what comes next for Di Vaio. France Football suggested on Wednesday night that Di Vaio could be released on a free transfer by Bologna, while Canada’s SoccerPlus has reported that the player’s wife traveled to Montreal to house-hunt.
