The 2012 season is not yet in the books and another former Italian international is on the phone to join the Montreal Impact next season.
SoccerPlus has learned from a European source that the 35-year-old defender’s agent is trying to convince Montreal, New York or at least one other MLS side to pick up his client for the 2013 campaign.
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Zambrotta was previously in talks with the Red Bulls this season to join Henry at RBA in the middle of the 2012 season, but these talks were cut short by the gap between what the Italian wanted and what the NYRB were ready to fork out, considering their already jam-packed payroll.
This time around, Montreal and New York have offered two to three times under what the 18-season veteran is looking for. According to our source, the amounts offered would make Zambrotta the second highest-paid player with Les Bleus, or the fourth most-paid player in the Big Apple.
Inactive since May 2012, Zambrotta is still training with the hope to play a final year before calling it quits.
He played his last four seasons with AC Milan (with the Impact’s Alessandro Nesta), two seasons in Barcelona (including one with NYRB’s Thierry Henry in 2007-08) and the previous seven with Juventus in Serie A. He played 98 games with Italy between 1999 and 2010, winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where he scored the opening goal of a quarterfinal win over Ukraine.
Zambrotta scored his only other international goal on May 30, 2004 on a pass from current Montreal Impact member, Bernardo Corradi, in a friendly against Tunisia.
Despite the moment he finds himself in career-wise, no doubt many clubs all across the world would jump on an opportunity to pick up the seasoned veteran for a few months before he steps out of the scene for good.
Already his name is circulating in the Brazilian press where he is linked to Botafogo and Flamenco or even at PSG where his former coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters last month he could be tempted to bring him on once the winter transfer window opens up.