Buffon in talks for Parma return?

Gianluigi Buffon is in negotiations for a return to his first club, Parma, claims La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 41-year-old goalkeeper is a free agent after turning down a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

He made 25 competitive appearances for the French champions, keeping nine clean sheets.

The shot-stopper hinted at a return to Italy and that does seem to be on the cards, with reported negotiations going on with Parma.

Gianluigi Buffon is in negotiations for a return to his first club, Parma, claims La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 41-year-old goalkeeper is a free agent after turning down a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

He made 25 competitive appearances for the French champions, keeping nine clean sheets.

The shot-stopper hinted at a return to Italy and that does seem to be on the cards, with reported negotiations going on with Parma.

It’d be coming full circle, as Buffon started his career in the Parma youth academy and stepped up to the senior squad in 1994.

He made 220 competitive appearances for the Stadio Tardini side, including his Serie A debut in a 0-0 draw with Milan on November 19, 1995, aged just 17 years and nine months.

Buffon eventually moved to Juventus for what was then a world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper, €53m, in the summer of 2001.

Parma have been through a lot since then, as they went bankrupt in 2015 and had to start again from Serie D, working their way back up to the top flight this season thanks to three consecutive promotions.