Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon is reportedly close to joining Serie B side Parma, returning to the club where his illustrious career began 26 years ago.
After making his 685th and final appearance for Juventus in the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta BC in May, Buffon is to leave the Serie A giants when his contract expires at the end of this month.
The 43-year-old has no intentions to retire from football just yet and, according to Sky Italia, the goalkeeper is set to rejoin his former club Parma on a two-year deal.
Buffon is believed to have had offers from both Barcelona and Besiktas, however the stopper seems tempted by an ambitious project with the Crusaders, who hope to make a swift return to Serie A.
The Italian began his career with Parma in their youth academy aged 13, before making his senior debut as a 17-year-old in 1995.
He spent six years with the Crusaders before joining Juve for a fee eventually rising to around £43m, which was at the time a world-record fee for a goalkeeper.
Buffon, who won the World Cup in 2006, is Italy's most capped player of all time with 176 appearances to his name, and he has also won 27 trophies at club level.
Oliver Thomas
