Football

Socceroos star Alessandro Circati is touted to smash the Australian transfer record with two European giants circling — only 24 hours after it was revealed his Australia team-mate Lucas Herrington was likely to surpass the mark.

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Circati, 22, is being chased by Italian powerhouses Juventus and AC Milan with a reported price tag of €35 million (AUD$57.1m) to get Parma to release the central defender.

To put the potential move in perspective, Herrington is tipped to join Premier League side Hull City from Colorado Rapids for AUD$32.4m, with both he and Circati’s transfers likely to surpass the current Australian record — Harry Souttar joining Leicester for a fee of AUD$27.98m.

Circati, Parma’s vice-captain, was a top performer in the Serie A last season and further enhanced his reputation at the World Cup starting every match for the Socceroos as they reached the round-of-32.

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He is seen as a future leader of the Australian national team, with his calm defending and ability on the ball shining during the tournament.

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Circati was born in Italy but moved to Perth in Australia at age one, beginning his youth football career at Perth SC at age 11.

He was snapped up by Perth Glory’s academy at 14, developing at the A-League club until earning a move to Parma at 18 years old — with his Italian passport helping secure the move.

Circati made his debut for Parma in 2022 while the team were in Serie B and became a mainstay of the team in 2023-24, when the side got promoted to Serie A.

A cruciate ligament tear saw him most of Parma’s first season back in Serie A, but Circati worked his way back to be an important piece of a team that finished 13th last campaign.

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