Sereni set for Lazio switch
MATTEO Sereni was finally set to quit Ipswich to join Italian giants Lazio today.The £5million flop was due to have a medical at the Olympic Stadium in Rome and the protracted deal was expected to be completed by the end of the day.
MATTEO Sereni was finally set to quit Ipswich to join Italian giants Lazio today.
The £5million flop was due to have a medical at the Olympic Stadium in Rome and the protracted deal was expected to be completed by the end of the day.
Sereni, who has made no secret of the fact that his heart has not been with Ipswich since returning for pre-season training, is leaving the club for an undisclosed fee.
But Ipswich boss Joe Royle will be delighted to get the goalkeeper's crippling £22,000-a-week wages off the Portman Road payroll.
That would enable Royle to offer long-term deals to
trialist keeper Javier Sanchez Broto and utility man Georges Santos if the pair impress on the club's Scandinavian tour.
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Royle said: "It is a big weight off the club now that Matteo is finally leaving. He is having a medical today and it looks likely that the deal will go through by the end of the day, if not tomorrow at the latest."
However, this is not necessarily the last Town fans will see of Sereni at Portman Road, as the deal includes two potentially lucrative pre-season friendlies against the Italian side.
Ipswich's hard negotiations have also secured them a sell-on clause, which will see the club net 50 per cent of any future transfer fee involving the flamboyant keeper.
Sereni, who cost Ipswich £5million from Sampdoria two years ago, was the club's top earner and his departure will help them reduce their outgoings, an obligation agreed when Town came out of administration.
Sereni's exit – following the departures of Matt Holland, Ulrich Le Pen and Findi George – will see the club slash its annual wage bill by about £5million.
Royle's goalkeeping muddle could also be resolved further after Dagenham and Redbridge offered James Pullen a lifeline.
The reserve team keeper, who was handed a free transfer by Royle over the summer, has agreed to play two games for the non-league side.
"James will join them for two games without committing himself to anything. It's a case for both parties to look at one another and see if any sort of deal can be struck," said Royle.
That just leaves the situation of Andy Marshall, who Royle would be happy to leave, still unresolved.
