Insigne warned against 'strange' MLS transfer

Tom Grant
  • 29 Dec 2021 12:21 GMT
  • 3 min read
Lorenzo Insigne, Napoli
© ProShots

Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne's potential move from Serie A to Major League Soccer with Toronto FC is one of the 'stranger' transfer rumours floating about at the moment.

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The 30-year-old, who helped Italy win the European Championship last summer, has six months left on his current deal in Naples, and Toronto are hoping to get him on a free transfer in 2022.

And now a man who made a similar move from Italy to Canada has warned Insigne that his international career may suffer.

Giovinco has his say

Sebastian Giovinco left Juventus for the MLS in 2015 and enjoyed a successful four years in North America.

But he lost his place in the Italy team and now worries the same thing will happen to Insigne.

Asked whether a move to Canada is the right move for Insigne, Giovinco told Corriere dello Sport: "It depends on what you want. Personally, I felt comfortable on a human level and I found a city where life is easy.

"On a professional level you have to consider disappearing from the radar. I lost the national team, I lost visibility.

"If you are willing to give up on these things, it is an experience that I recommend to everyone."

Giovinco believes the move is already a done deal and Insigne will move to Toronto in the next few months. He said: "Here [in Toronto] they are really sure that it is done. They are waiting for him in March.

Lorenzo Insigne for Italy against England at Euro 2020
© ProShots

"But it seems strange to me because he is the captain of Napoli and I do not think he will give up a team fighting for the title like this."

Insigne warned he may not get what he thinks

Toronto are prepared to make Insigne their highest-paid player and offer him a five-and-a-half-year contract with €11 million per year salary.

But Giovinco has used his own experience as a warning to Insigne, mentioning alleged broken promises.

"I can say that when I arrived in 2015 I was promised seas and mountains that in reality weren't there," he said.

"But I don't want to go into details."

Read more about: Serie A, MLS, Napoli, Toronto, Lorenzo Insigne

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