By RYAN TOLMICH
Andrea Pirlo was spotted at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night, and it appears that New York City FC is close to making the presence of the Italian legend a much more common occurrence.
Goal USA is reporting that talks between Pirlo and NYCFC have reached the final stages, with the club potentially announcing Pirlo’s signing as soon as next week. Pirlo, who was shown to be in attendance alongside future NYCFC midfielder Frank Lampard, has now returned to Europe and does not plan to return until late July.
Should the signing of Pirlo be completed, NYCFC could debut their new signing as soon as July 26 for a home matchup with Orlando City.
Pirlo has been connected with NYCFC throughout the year, with his appearances in Manhattan in recent weeks only furthering speculation of his imminent signing.
While the team will have to wait another month or so to see Pirlo don the team’s jersey, NYCFC will see Lampard suit up much sooner, as the Englishman is set to begin training on Wednesday and is expected to feature July 12 against Toronto FC at Yankee Stadium.
In addition to Lampard and Pirlo, NYCFC are set to debut a pair of defenders in the coming weeks in the form of longtime Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Iraola and Manchester City loanee Angelino.
What do you think of the Pirlo move? How will Pirlo and Lampard impact NYCFC?