Hellas Verona signs Atletico reject Cerci for Serie A return

Serie A returnee Hellas Verona has continued the trend of adding a veteran attacker to its ranks for top-flight football, signing Alessio Cerci after the 29-year-old's contract was terminated at Atletico Madrid by mutual consent.

Hellas announced the move in a statement Monday, adding that Cerci joins I Gialloblu following a successful medical.

Cerci will hope to replicate the successes of another once-promising Italian attacker who was offered a late-career lifeline by the Veneto outfit, Luca Toni. The 40-year-old retired ahead of the last campaign after spending three seasons with the club, bagging 48 goals in 95 outings.

Just about anything will do for Cerci at this point after loan moves with AC Milan and Genoa saw the the former Italian international score a scant five times in 40 appearances split between the two Serie A sides.

A right-winger who can also ply his trade on the left or in an attacking midfield role, much was expected of Cerci when he moved to Atleti in 2014 following a successful stretch with Torino. Those forecasts quickly turned to doom, though, as the Roma academy product made just 11 appearances for Los Colchoneros.