Soccer / Football : Italy : Serie A 2008/2009

Midfielder Luca Cigarini has joined Napoli on Friday for an undisclosed fee. Cigarini, who was co-owned by Atalanta and Parma, spent last season with the Bergamo based outfit and helped them to an impressive eleventh place finish, but only made 22 appearances due to injury. He gained plenty of exposure at the recent Under-21 European championships in Sweden, as Italy bowed out in the semi-finals.

Two days after Diego Milito swapped Genoa for Inter, Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta has followed suit, signing a four-year contract with the Italian champions. The 26-year-old, whose career was threatened by injury when at Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, rediscovered form and fitness with Genoa last term when he helped guide them to a surprise fifth place finish in Serie A.

Youth players, midfielder Francesco Bolzoni, centre-back Leonardo Bonucci and striker Riccardo Meggiorini are joining Genoa on a permanent basis as part of the Motta deal. Genoa, meanwhile, continued their squad rebuilding by bringing in striker Sergio Floccari from Atalanta, Montenegrin defender Ivan Fatic from Chievo Verona and Moroccan midfielder Houssine Kharja from Siena.

Diego Milito completed his move to Inter from Genoa in one of a number of transfers expected to go through between the two clubs. The 30-year-old Argentina striker has penned a four-year deal. Milito struck 24 goals in 31 Serie A games last season, just one fewer than the man likely to be his new strike partner, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Media reports say forward Julio Cruz is leaving with Fiorentina expressing an interest, while French midfielder Patrick Vieira wants to return to France.

Genoa team mate Thiago Motta, the Brazilian midfielder whose career was threatened by injury when at Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, is also due to be unveiled as an Inter player in the next few days. Italy Under-21 striker Robert Acquafresca, who spent last season on loan at Cagliari, will join Genoa as part of the Motta deal but is expected to be immediately loaned out to Atalanta. Genoa are also in the process of signing Inter's Argentine forward Hernan Crespo and Atalanta striker Sergio Floccari.

Ignazio Abate has returned to Milan after a year with Torino, but it is not yet clear if he is a part of coach Leonardo's plans or whether he will be moving on once again. The 22-year-old winger spent the last season in Turin on a co-ownership deal, but Milan have repurchased the entire rights to the player for €2.2m. Meanwhile, Lille have secured the services of Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a one-year loan from Milan. The 20-year-old scored eight goals in 34 league games for Dijon last season as they finished eighth in Ligue 2.

Roma have agreed to sign Bari midfielder Stefano Guberti. The 24-year-old, who has inked a four-year deal, will join Roma on a free transfer when his contract with Bari expires at the end of June. Guberti, who only joined Bari in February from Ascoli, helped his side win the Italian second division title with 9 goals in 18 matches.

Porto have confirmed that Aly Cissokho's transfer to Milan has collapsed after the French left-back failed a medical. The move had been delayed over fears regarding dental problems revealed during a medical, but that issue was resolved after the player underwent further tests. However, Milan now claim that the move has stalled due to financial differences with Porto. Media reports said the original fee agreed was about €15m.

Inter president Massimo Moratti said he is close to signing Portugal internationals Deco and Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea. Central defender Carvalho and Brazilian-born midfielder Deco, both 31, have played under Mourinho at Porto, winning the 2004 UEFA Champions League. Carvalho also played for the Portuguese coach when he was in charge at Chelsea. Meanwhile, Moratti remains confident that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay with the Italian champions this summer.

Lazio have named Davide Ballardini as their new coach on a two-year contract. The 45-year-old succeeds Delio Rossi, whose four-year stint at the Rome club ended this month when he quit after winning the Italian Cup but finishing a disappointing 10th in Serie A. Ballardini led Palermo to an eighth-place finish last term but refused to stay on in Sicily after falling out with chairman Maurizio Zamparini, who brought in former Catania coach Walter Zenga to replace him.