New York City FC could boast a star-studded, if aged, line-up next season in MLS, with the New York Daily News reporting that Andrea Pirlo will join Frank Lampard and David Villa at the club.
Pirlo has one year left to run on his contract with Juventus, but the Daily News says he will negotiate his way out of the deal when the summer transfer window opens in July. His salary expectations are believed to be similar to those of Lampard and Villa at around $6m a season. Pirlo would be a Designated Player, meaning his wages would be outside the team’s salary cap.
Although Pirlo has yet to comment on any move to the US, he was seen at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night with the Manchester City chief executive, Ferran Soriano.
While there is no doubt about Pirlo’s pedigree as a player – he has won the World Cup, two Champions Leagues and six Serie A titles – there are questions about the age of NYC FC’s squad. If Pirlo were to join all three of their Designated Players would be well into their 30s. Pirlo is 36, Lampard 37 and Villa 33. The NYC FC coach, Jason Kreis, is understood to want a younger core of players for the expansion team.
After a poor start to their first season, NYC FC have won their last three games and are level on points with their cross city rivals, the Red Bulls. The two teams play each other this weekend.
