By DAN KARELL
Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final may be the final match Andrea Pirlo plays in a Juventus uniform.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, the 36-year-old Italian midfield maestro has accepted an offer from New York City FC. The report states that Manchester City and NYCFC CEO Ferran Soriano turned to signing Pirlo after Barcelona midfielder Xavi turned down an offer last summer. Xavi has signed signed a deal with Qatari side Al-Sadd.
If Pirlo did sign with NYCFC, he would likely become the team’s third Designated Player, behind Frank Lampard and David Villa. Lampard will be eligible to begin playing on July 8 while Villa has scored three goals with two assists in ten games this season. Pirlo would not be eligible to play until July 8 if he signed.
There has been plenty of speculation in recent weeks that Pirlo could depart Juventus after this season, leading to multiple reports that Juve are set to sign German World Cup winner Sami Khedira from Real Madrid this summer. Pirlo scored four Serie A goals in 20 league matches, and he’s scored once in nine games in the Champions League.
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What do you think of this report? Would you like to see NYCFC sign Pirlo? Should they go after a centerback instead?
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