Milan Sign Diego Lugano?

Milan win Lugano chase Thursday 1 December, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milan have beaten off heated competition for the right to buy Sao Paulo's Diego Lugano.

The latter is currently considered the best defender in the Brazilian League and has been identified as the new blood required to revive the Rossoneri’s creaking rearguard.

The 24-year-old has replaced Paolo Montero at the heart of Uruguay’s defence and had been specifically singled out by Real Madrid Coach Vanderlei Luxembourgo as the man to solve the Spanish giants’ problems at the back.

Inter, too, had been chasing the elegant stopper and are said to have made an offer to buy his registration.

Milan, though, thanks to excellent relations with the club from which they bought Kaka, have stolen a march on their city rivals, by offering £2.7m for the ownership of the player.

Whether or not Carlo Ancelotti wants to recruit him as early as this January or rather wait until the summer – and the departure of Jaap Stam and Billy Costacurta – remains to be seen.

However, the acquisition of Lugano represents the first brick in sporting director Ariedo Braida’s defensive reconstruction campaign.

Braida has also cast an eye over Felipe of Udinese over recent weeks, but with Lugano now set to arrive at the San Siro, the greater experience of Andrea Barzagli of Palermo and Chievo’s Davide Mandelli is more likely to be of interest.
-------------------------------

what about this ?