Livorno chief Aldo Spinelli has revealed he almost signed Gigi Buffon while he was in charge of Genoa.
Livorno chief Aldo Spinelli has revealed he almost signed Gigi Buffon while he was in charge of Genoa.
“Everything was already agreed between us at Genoa and Parma,” Spinelli told Tuttosport on Thursday. “However, Luca Bucci then got injured and Parma would no longer give him to us.”
Buffon, who supported Genoa as a boy, subsequently joined Juventus” data-scaytid=”11″>Juventus in 2001 for a fee of around £32m.
The Italian international, however, is coming towards the end of his career given that he is now 35-years-old.
One of a number of ‘keepers who could one day take his place in the Azzurri net is Livorno youngster Francesco Bardi, who is actually owned by Inter.
“Bardi reminds me of a young Buffon,” the Amaranto owner added. “He has enormous potential. Every week he is being watched by scouts from the two Manchester sides and other clubs.
“I just hope that Samir Handanovic continues to do well at Inter so they decide to let Bardi stay here with us…”