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Former Italian national team defender Demetrio Albertini despite the efforts of the "Serie A" outsider team to keep him for the remaining part of the season will spend it at the club.
The injury-plagued "Barca" has been looking for reinforcements for some time, and their initial target was Juventus player Alessio Tacchinardi, but the price seemed too high for the Catalan team, so the attention was then turned to D. Albertini.
Although last week Atalanta president Ivan Ruggeri stated that the player would stay at the club until the end of his contract, the 33-year-old veteran was eager to join a strong team, coached by his former teammate at Milan, Frank Rijkaard, and he achieved this goal.
"Of course, we would like to keep him," Atalanta coach Delio Rossi said. "But how can we stop a 33-year-old player who has the opportunity to move to a strong club?"
The player will have to undergo a medical examination, and then he can sign a five-month contract with the new club, under which, it is estimated, he will earn $350,000. This is the second time Albertini is moving to Spain - two years ago he played for Madrid's Atletico team.
Meanwhile, it is believed that the Barcelona management is busy negotiating another purchase - on Wednesday, they are expected to finalize the acquisition of River Plate forward Maxi Lopez. For the Argentine, who will replace the injured Henrik Larsson in the team, Barca should pay about six million euros.
