Sydney FC reportedly offer Italian legend Alessandro del Piero $2 million deal to ply trade in A-League
Alessandro Del Piero will become the highest-paid footballer in Australian history if he accepts an offer believed to be close to $2 million to sign with A-League club Sydney FC.
Sky Blues chief executive Tony Pignata and leading player agent Lou Sticca spoke with the brother of the former Italy international and Juventus star during a video conference link in Melbourne on Wednesday night, making a staggering offer the club believes is good enough to entice him to Australia.
The discussions with Del Piero's brother and solicitor lasted an hour and Pignata said "all went well".
He expects an answer within 48 hours .
"There is genuine interest on his part," Pignata said.
"We are due to reconvene the meeting around midnight so that is a positive sign. It's a matter of sitting and waiting."
It's understood Pignata was told by club chairman Scott Barlow to do all he could to deliver Del Piero - pitching a deal that would dwarf anything the highest-paid players in the AFL and rugby league would get.
Effectively, Del Piero would be paid for what amounts to six months work. The offer would not include sponsorship or marketing opportunities, which could tip his final earning capacity closer to $3m.
Gold Coast Suns captain Gary Ablett is reportedly on $2m a season while fellow AFL stars Jonathan Brown (Brisbane Lions), Chris Judd (Carlton), Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle) and Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) were listed on between $900,000 and $1m a season in 2010.
Storm fullback Billy Slater, who is said to earn more than $800,000, is believed to be the biggest money earner, sponsorships aside, in rugby league.
Fans went in to overdrive when news that Sydney was chasing Del Piero was revealed.
Many claimed it would be the biggest thing to happen to the A-League since it kicked off in 2005.
Certainly, it would eclipse Sydney's signing of former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke in the inaugural season of the competition. Yorke earned about $1.3m.
If Del Piero, who is also being chased by Swiss club Sion, decides to stay in Europe, the Sky Blues reportedly have a number of fallback options.
"There are at least three or four options," an insider said.
"There is a current English premier league player who could be loaned out to Sydney for this season."
While Pignata confirmed he had been armed with a huge cheque to sign the Italian, he remained coy in terms of the size of that offer when asked about discussions with Del Piero's management.
Pignata said he believed Sydney had now done all it could to try to convince Del Piero to come to Australia.
"I know he is the type of person who wants to leave a footprint on the sport and what better way to do it than playing in the A-League," Pignata said.
"We have pitched a lot of things to him . . . the lifestyle here, the fact we play in the summer and that he won't have to put up with a European winter. The rest is now up to him."
Pignata said signing the classy striker would have a huge effect on the Sky Blues and predicted membership sales could go up as much as 30 per cent.
"I'm am erring on the side of conservatism when I say we would achieve a 30 per cent rise in memberships," Pignata said.
"It could be anything. I am certain crowds would increase right across the board, not just at our home games but at our away matches. It would be win-win for Sydney and the other A-League clubs."
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