Acquafresca opts for Atalanta

| Thu, 06/25/2009 - 03:20

Italy's Under-21 star Robert Acquafresca has accepted a loan bid from Atalanta, the player's agent told an Italian soccer transfer website on Wednesday.

Atalanta and newly promoted Parma were vying for the services of the highly rated hitman, who scored 15 goals for Cagliari last season.

Acquafresca, whose two goals against Belarus Tuesday night put Italy into the European Under-21 semi-finals, was on loan to the Sardinian club from Italian champions Inter Milan.

Inter recently loaned him to Genoa as part of a deal bringing Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter.

Genoa has said it will take three days to consider Acquafresca's decision to move to Atalanta, Acquafresca's agent Paolo Fabbri told the Tuttomercatoweb site.

The Bergamo club has been after Acquafresca for a year.

If the loan deal is completed, the 21-year-old centre forward will replace Sergio Floccari, 27, who scored 12 goals for Atalanta last year.

Atalanta finished the season in 11th place, two below Acquafresca's Genoa and seven below 4th-placed Genoa.

Aquafresca's 15 goals put him level in the final marksmen's standings with AC Milan star Pato and one behind Kaka.

Inter's Zlatan Ibrahimovic was top with 25.

The Turin-born Acquafresca is regarded as one of the finest talents in Italian soccer.

Some pundits have tipped him to earn a senior call-up alongside fellow under-21 star Mario Balotelli of Inter.

Acquafresca, whose mother is Polish, last year rejected a bid from the Polish Football Federation to lure him into playing for Poland at senior level.

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