Parma secure Lucarelli coup

Italy striker Cristiano Lucarelli has made a surprise return to Serie A after agreeing a €5.7m move from FC Shakhtar Donetsk to Parma FC almost six months to the day since he arrived in Ukraine.

European record
The 32-year-old joined Shakhtar from AS Livorno Calcio for €8m last July, but has struggled to cement a place in Mircea Lucescu's starting lineup and Parma beat a scramble of Italian clubs to bring him home on a three-and-a-half year deal. He departs with a record of four goals in 12 Premier League outings, as well as another four in nine UEFA Champions League appearances, including qualification.

International class
The first Italian to play in Ukraine, Lucarelli was a consistent performer in Serie A with hometown team Livorno, registering 94 goals in 146 league matches. He made his Italy debut on 8 June 2005 in a 1-1 draw with Serbia and Montenegro, and has since added five more caps and three goals. Before transferring to Livorno, Lucarelli played for AC Perugia, Cosenza Calcio, Calcio Padova 1910, Atalanta BC, US Lecce and Torino FC, also enjoying a brief spell in Spain with Valencia CF in 1998/99.