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Further details arise on Giovinco's somewhat shocking transfer to Major League Soccer. The talent from the suburban Turinese city of Beniasco, born and raised - football-wise - at Juventus will make his move to Toronto after the expiry of his current contract with the bianconeri, therefore as a free transfer. Giovinco didn't spend much time humming and hawing over TFC's contract offer. In fact, today's Gazzetta dello Sport confirms a pharaonic five-year contract of $7 million per year plus as much as $3 million more in bonuses. Catenaccio-NA learned of the news yesterday afternoon, confirmed later in the evening by traditional Toronto-based media outlets, and this morning by Italian ones. Juventus currently denies any knowledge of the deal, officially or unofficially, while TFC has set a "major announcement" tomorrow at 1pm Toronto time. In the deal, Toronto does not acquire his image rights, therefore he is free to earn 100% of eventual endorsement deals. G...

Last week, SportMediaset reported interest from MLS side Toronto FC in bringing the Atomic Ant across the pond, given his contract that is due to expire this coming June.  Besides the Toronto outfit, Bologna, Fiorentina and more recently Monaco have shown interest thus far.  In order to convince the striker from Beniasco to accept the North American destination, Toronto had reportedly offered him a two-year contract worth €3.5 million per season. Corriere Canadese 's Leonardo Molinelli spoke to Giovinco's agent Andrea D'Amico yesterday to take a pulse on the situation.  D'Amico flat out denied any interest or offer made by Toronto FC, debunking any theory or interest from either party to make such a move at this time.  D'Amico went on to say that Giovinco is more likely to determine his fate upon the expiry of his contract at which point he will be free to choose his next destination.  This season he has collected 9 appearances (for ...

According to  SportsMediaset  Toronto FC is interested in bringing the Atomic Ant across the pond With a contract expiring this coming June, Sebastian Giovinco is quickly becoming the object of desire of many clubs. Bologna for January, and Fiorentina and Parma upon contract expiry, have expressed interest in the Atomic Ant without ever entering into a real negotiation with Juventus. Enter Toronto FC. According to  Sportmediaset , the MLS side hungry for a playoff spot wants the player. Ostensively, the player would move to North America on a free transfer, in July. In order to convince the striker from Beniasco to accept the North American destination, Toronto has reportedly offered him a two-year contract worth €3.5 million per season. This season he has collected 9 appearances (for only 191 minutes, or the equivalent of 2 matches) and is yet to score or provide an assist.

When Brazilian national team coach Luis Felipe Scolari "suggests" you should get competitive playing time, you should take the hint. With former Inter shot stopper Julio Cesar sitting idle at Queen's Park Rangers (collecting only one club appearance this season), Scolari hinted that Cesar get ship-shape for the World Cup by signing for a Major League Soccer (MLS) club. The MLS represented one of the last options available to Julio Cesar for playing top flight soccer. In summer 2013 it became clear that Julio Cesar would not be a permanent fixture in QPR's starting eleven, due in part to his 2.5 million GBP annual salary.   Attempts to sign the Brazilian by SSC Napoli and AFC Fiorentina failed in the 2013 summer transfer window as the clubs were unable to find an agreement on wages, and (in Napoli's case) image rights.   The January transfer window proved just as fruitless, leaving Julio Cesar with limited options to play competitive club soccer, with T...

MLSE Tim Leweke and GM Tim Bezbatchenko were determined to bring a star player to Toronto, by all means necessary. The Toronto Star's Cathal Kelly's piece of January 24 reveals Toronto FC's brass  intricate courtship of players the likes of Rolando Bianchi of Bologna FC, Alberto Gilardino of Genoa (as reported here earlier), Juventus' Fabio Quagliarella, Spurs' Jermain Defoe, and Roma's Michael Bradley. The backstage was more than a transactional exchange, rather it involved sipping wine made in a player's family-owned vineyard, negotiations with Gilardino and Quagliarella's agent while at a Toronto Maple Leafs game, flowers from Drake, and bumping into LeBron James.  The piece reveals that Toronto FC's first choice was Jermain Defoe, with Alberto Gilardino as their "backpocket".  Bradley's was an unplanned advent that happened almost over night: an opportunity seized by a Machiavellian Bezbatchenko. Sit down,...

Toronto FC seems to have developed an obsession for Italian strikers. Well, maybe not an obsession per se , more of a partiality. A healthy one, one might add.  After the failed attempt (for now) at signing Alberto Gilardino , the Italian Job seemed to have vanished for good. This was ever truer with the signing of a marquee striker the likes of Jermaine Defoe.  However, appearances deceive. According to Gianluca Di Marzio , the reds are hot on the heels of Hellas Verona cultured striker Daniele Cacìa. A journeyman whose explosion in Serie A was stunted by two injuries at key times, Cacìa could prove to be a useful addition to TFC's strikeforce. The Reds are serious about the deal and have offered the Italian a 3 year deal. An offer to the club is yet to be made.  Cacìa has plied his trade in Serie B for the most part, collecting a respectable total of 98 goals, 22 assists in 271 appearances in all competitions (Serie B, Serie A, Italian Cup, and...

After signing Brazilians Gilberto and Jackson, and England international Jermaine Defoe, Toronto FC have set their sights on another Serie A player. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Reds have started negotiations with Roma for Michael Bradley and making an offer to the  giallorossi . Serie A seems to have become a preferred fishing ground for the Toronto outfit: this offer comes days after  Genoa's Alberto Gilardino declined the Canadian city indefinitely .  TFC's offer, however, is not the only one: Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg are interested in his services.  Bradley has 1 goal in 11 Serie A appearances for Roma this season.

As I reported on www.ItalianFootballDaily.com Toronto FC's purs uit of Alberto Gilardino has come to a close with a simple "thank you, but no thank you". According to transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio, "the Reds" pursued the 2006 World Cup champion for a  transfer to the North American city in the  summer 2014 since October. Gilardino, however, prefers options closer to home. In this perspective, Sunderland's recent interest in him and Borriello, and TFC securing the services of Germaine Defoe have indefinitely shut the door on the Italian striker's route to North America.  Gilardino has 9 goals and 1 assist in 19 appearances (all competitions) for Genoa this season.  

News coming from Sky Italy's Gianluca Di Marzio today has Alberto Gilardino dusting off Toronto FC's 3-year offer of $12M (that's $4M/year), who seems to have lifted his doubts about the Reds. Di Marzio broke the news in English through his right-hand-man David Amoyal : On November 6, we revealed that TFC was in the hunt for a designated player in the Red's attack , and Gilardino was their number 1 target.  However, things cooled off just a week later, with the same Di Marzio informing his followers that Gilardino was not fully convinced of Toronto as a destination. Today's update confirmed that Gilardino is very likely to come to Toronto, but only in the summer 2014  (not at season's start in March) as he wants to finish his season with Genoa, and hopefully, feature in next summer's World Cup. At Catenaccio, we continue to hold that the 2006 World champion's his main concern is to maintain a fertile environment for productivity in his ...

The rumour mill has been alive and well in Toronto, as TFC hunts for a major target for the 2014 season. On November 6, journalist Tancredi Palmeri tweeted that according to Sky Italy, Genoa FC's Alberto Gilardino is all set to agree to terms with Toronto FC. This could be some exciting news for Toronto's catenacciari whose local soccer team may be coloured with the green, white and red; as the 2006 World Cup champion may join their side. The plot thickened on November 12, as Sky Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (through Grant Wahl on Twitter) announced that while Toronto FC's economic offer is quite adequate, the Gilardino is not fully convinced of Toronto as a desination. For one Gilardino, like his current club Genoa FC, has returned to form.  The 2006 World Cup champion doesn't want to rock the boat one-third of the way into the season.  Secondly, the Italian is currently making a run for a spot among the 23 that will fly to Brazil for World Cu...