Giorgio Chiellini joins LAFC - "A unique opportunity to improve our club"

Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC have finally announced the signing of Giorgio Chiellini. The 37-year-old Juventus defender joins on a free transfer when his contract with the Italian giants expires on July 1 and will sign Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) deal through 2023. 

"Giorgio is a special, one-of-a-kind player and person," LAFC general manager John Thorrington said in a club statement. "Signing Giorgio was a unique opportunity to improve our club. He will complement what we believe is already a strong team as every day he will set the right example with his leadership competitiveness, and experience. He is a serial winner at the highest levels, and we are grateful he has chosen LAFC to join in our pursuit of trophies."

Interest in Chiellini was thought to be high. The Vancouver Whitecaps were also in the mix but withdrew their interest as Chiellini was on LAFC's discovery list and the Italian preferred a move to Southern California rather than British Columbia. In Chiellini head coach Steven Cherundolo receives an experienced defender, who is expected to act as a mentor to the young and very talented Mbacke (19).