Juventus Have Reached An Agreement To Take Alberto Aquilani On Loan

Il Corriere dello Sport have claimed that an agreement has been reached and the former Roma star will join Juventus on loan for the 2010-11 season with an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the campaign for €17 million.

The player's agent, Franco Zavaglia, later confirmed a deal is in place.

"It will be a loan, with the right of Juventus to buy the player at the end of the season. The wage of Aquilani will be paid by Juve," he revealed to Sportitalia.

All the required contracts have reportedly been signed and an official announcement is expected in the near future.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has revealed that midfielder Alberto Aquilani could return to Italy on loan, with the player's agent claiming that a deal with Italian giants Juventus is on the verge of being completed.

Aquilani was absent from the Liverpool squad for their 1-0 Europa League victory over Trabsonspor at Anfield on Thursday night and afterwards Hodgson confirmed via the club's official website liverpoolfc.tv that the player may be set to leave to guarantee first team football and preserve his value.

The former Roma midfielder joined the Reds in a €20 million move last summer as a replacement for Xabi Alonso but after spending much of the season overcoming injury, he failed to make a telling impact on Merseyside and Hodgson has acknowledged that he is not guaranteed regular football at Anfield this season so a loan move may be in the 26-year-old's best interests.

"At the moment we are considering possibly loaning him to an Italian club, but nothing is sure about that yet," Hodgson revealed, before hinting the player still has a future at the club beyond the current campaign.

"I didn't want to use him tonight just in case the loan goes through because for Aquilani this year it's very important that he plays regular football, every week as the number one man on the team sheet.

"I can't promise him that here so if a loan move to Italy could help him in that respect it might be good for all parties.

"It would certainly be what he needs, it would certainly protect the value of the player and when he does return to Liverpool no doubt we will see the Aquilani that we signed before he came here injured last year."