Zamparini: Italian interest in Pastore

The Argentine playmaker’s future has been the subject of intense speculation all summer, with several of Europe’s elite believed to be monitoring his progress after an impressive campaign with Palermo.

Barcelona and Real Madrid were already thought to be competing with the two Premier League giants for Pastore’s signature, and now Zamparini has revealed an Italian club is willing to offer the 21-year-old the chance to remain in Serie A.

"There are five clubs keen on Pastore and one of them is Italian," Zamparini told Stadionews.

When pressed on the identity of the club in question he added: "It's not Napoli or Juventus."

Palermo’s valuation of Pastore at 50 million euros (£45 million) is thought to be a major obstacle to a potential deal with any of the interested clubs.

But Zamparini is nevertheless confident he will be able to cash in on his prized asset this summer, and does not believe the sale will be too detrimental to his side’s prospects on the pitch next term.

"There is a 99 percent chance that Pastore will leave," he insisted.

"But I think that without him the team will be able to fight to qualify for the Champions League."

ByLiam Twomey

Nick Moore

Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.