AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta waves to supporters at the end of a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Novara, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, May 13, 2012.Luca Bruno/The Associated Press
The Montreal Impact appear to be getting stronger on defence, as free-agent Italian defender Alessandro Nesta is reported to be close to joining the Major League Soccer club.
According to a report on the league's website posted on Monday, the Impact have confirmed making an offer to Nesta, who spent the past 10 seasons with AC Milan of Italy's Serie A, one of the top soccer leagues in the world.
However, an earlier report from Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport suggesting a deal for the centre-back was already completed was denied by the Impact, according to MLS.
If Nesta joins Montreal, he would once again team up with recent Impact acquisition Marco Di Vaio. The two broke into professional football together with Italian club Lazio in 1993.
Nesta has appeared in 417 Serie A games with Lazio and Milan between 1993 and 2012. He has also made 78 appearance with Italy's national team. He was part of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning squad, however an injury earlier in the tournament kept him out of the final game.