According to Italian website Gianluca Di Marzio, Aston Villa are to make a move for Italian keeper Nicola Leali. Leali, currently owned by Juventus, has 2 games of Serie A experience under his belt, courtesy of loan deals.
Last season Leali, who Transfermarkt value at £4.5m, spent the season on loan from Juve at Frosinone. The one-time Italian U-21 stopper was unable to save Frosinone from relegation to Serie B.
At Frosinone he made 33 Serie A appearances in their relegation-doomed season, conceding 59 times and keeping seven clean sheets. Over his two main spells on loan at Serie A clubs from Juve (the other was Cesena), Leali has played 61 games, conceding 109 times and keeping 11 clean sheets.
The youngster is firmly entrenched behind the likes of world superstar Gianluigi Buffon and Brazilian new arrival Neto. This is thought to be behind his looking away from the 32-times Italian champions.
Five things about Nicola Leali
1. He was born in Castiglione delle Stiviere (population 22,739) which is in the Italian province of Mantua. In Romeo and Juliet, Mantua is the region where Romeo was banished to by Prince Escalus for slaying Juliet’s cousin Tybalt.
2. Leali came through the Brescia youth system before signing on for La Vecchia Signora (Juventus) on July 3 2012, for a fee of £2.85m. He was loaned out in the same season to Serie B side Virtus Lanciano. He conceded 51 times, kept six clean sheets and collected a red card in the 37 games he played for them.
3. In the Brescia side of 2011/12, he rubbed shoulders with Leeds United’s Swiss/Italian right-back Gaetano Berardi. Other notable names in that Brescia side were: Italian right-back Marco Zambelli, now at Empoli; Morrocan Omar El Kaddouri, now at Napoli and forward Jonathas, now at Real Sociedad.
4. Whilst not making the breakthrough to the full Azzuri set-up, the young stopper has represented Italy at all youth levels. Across all age groups, the young keeper has made 28 age-group appearances for the natinal side.
5. In the current iteration of FIFA16 on gaming consoles, Leali is rated at 72 with 76 diving, 68 reflexes, 72 handling, 60 kicking and 80 positioning. In Career Mode, the young stopper has the potential to grow to an 82 rating.
Statistics derived from Nicola Leali profile page on Transfermarkt.
