Alessandro Del Piero Wants To Stay In Australia, Play Another Season For Sydney FC

Australian A-League club Sydney FC is expected to move Monday to ensure ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO "will be back at the club next season with an announcement expected some time this week," according to Ray Gatt of THE AUSTRALIAN. The Sky Blues' board will meet later on Monday afternoon "to discuss activating the option on the Italian superstar's two-year A$4M ($4.2M) deal after concerns were raised last week that it was allowing negotiations to drag on for too long." Despite the club being embroiled in controversy and the team struggling at the bottom of the A-League table, the former Italy int'l and Juventus legend has told Sydney officials that "he and his family love the city and want to stay for another season." However, his management "has become frustrated at the lack of action from the other end." In an interview last week Del Piero said, "We have been talking. We are waiting for what (the club) decides." Since that report emerged -- making news in Italy -- the club is understood to "have been swamped by emails and letters calling on it to re-sign the 38-year-old, who has all but become the face of the A-League since arriving in Australia in September" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/17).