Toronto FC completed the shock signing of Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne this week. Insigne’s contract was set to run out at the end of the season and has accepted an £11m-a-year wage package. The contract is the highest that has been offered in the history of the MLS. The expensive move is set to be a huge difference-maker for Bob Bradley with the Italian at the peak of his career. He has spent the last 16 years of his career with the Serie A club.
“I looked up the Italian national team on what players were coming out of contract,” Toronto FC president Bill Manning said about signing Lorenzo Insigne. “And Lorenzo Insigne was one of a few players that were coming out of contract. And I started writing down players that I thought were world-class, that I thought would have commercial value in this market. I then presented to the MLSE board a five-year vision on what we need to do to reinvigorate our club. And Lorenzo Insigne was the first name on that list.”
“And things just started snowballing from there,” he added. “When (D’Amico) made his first phone call with (Insigne’s agent) Vincenzo (Pisacane), Andrea called me back and said: ‘Bill, it’s destiny, we’re going to make this happen.’ And that was back in September. This is a player in the prime of his career who just came off winning the European Championship… and has continued this year to play at a very high level.”
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