European: Lazio still chasing Di Canio

Lazio are refusing to give up in their pursuit of Charlton forward Paolo Di Canio.
The Biancocelesti have made Di Canio their top transfer target as they try to rebuild the club.

New Lazio president Claudio Lotito is a big fan of the former Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday star and would love to bring him to the Stadio Olimpico.

Di Canio is a boyhood Lazio supporter and has admitted he would like the chance to play for his favourites again before he retires.

But nevertheless a deal still seems unlikely as Charlton would not be willing to lose the skilful star after an impressive first season at The Valley.

Di Canio only recently signed a one-year extension at The Valley and he is expected to start the season with the club.
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Di Canio is a great player, he was superb at West Ham. For his age he is very fit, no wonder Lazio still want to try to sign him. The pace is slower in Italy so it would suit him much better and he would still have some more to give to the game.

[Edited on 8/3/2004 by Sir]

Charlton striker Paolo Di Canio is on the verge of returning to Italy to join his former club Lazio, according to Italian media reports today.

The temperamental 36-year-old forward, who has also played in Serie A for Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan, has reportedly agreed terms with Lazio and is waiting to see if Charlton will approve the transfer.

Di Canio's agent Moreno Roggi was in Rome on Wednesday and is understood to have negotiated a two-year deal for the player worth 250,000 euros ($428,000) a season.

A member of AC Milan's championship winning squad in 1995/96, Di Canio first arrived in Britain for the start of the following season, signing for Scottish Premier League side Celtic.

He scored 15 goals in 37 appearances for the Glasgow outfit before falling out with the club's management and left to join English club Sheffield Wednesday a year later.

Di Canio spent two years at Hillsborough, but his time in Yorkshire was soured when he pushed referee Paul Alcock to the floor after being sent off during a match against Arsenal.

He picked up an 11-match ban and a hefty fine and then claimed he was suffering from depression.

After becoming an outcast at Sheffield Wednesday, Di Canio's career was rescued when West Ham took a chance on the increasingly controversial Italian.

He became a cult hero at Upton Park in his five seasons there, despite falling out with manager Glenn Roeder towards the end of the 2002/03 season.

Di Canio was brought back into the side for the final stages of the campaign, but could not prevent the club from being relegated from the English Premiership.

He made the short trip across London to join Charlton in August 2003.



[Edited on 5/8/04 by TRD]