Rumor: Juventus product Fausto Rossi on New York Red Bulls' radar

Fausto Rossi is a 25-year-old midfielder whose career highlights include a match-winner against Barcelona.

But the player is a free agent now. A product of the Juventus youth system, he was widely loaned by the Serie A giant without ever settling permanently at another club. Earlier this year, it was reported he would be signing with Sporting Kansas City, but that deal has yet to be confirmed. In October, he told TuttoMercatoWeb he had been impressed by KC's set-up and MLS in general, but that he had made the trip to visit the club "more than anything because they invited me".

In the same interview, he made clear his future was still undecided, and he would consider pretty much whatever offers came his way:

In a team that will give me the opportunity. I still have much to do. I hope to repay the faith of those who will give me a chance. The preference goes to Italy, an extremely competitive championship.

The rumor mill, of course, does like to see a player go unsigned or unfulfilled. TuttoMercatoWeb has stepped in with an exclusive report stating Rossi is still "in the crosshairs" of KC and being targeted for a January move. But, if Sporting hesitates, TMW advises:

In the background, the New York Red Bulls and a timid idea Orlando.

This feels a lot like the standard attention-seeking rumor-mongering that all free agents hope to generate when seeking a new club, but Rossi does fit the basic profile of RBNY's presumed transfer policy. He will turn 26 in December, so he is not beyond his prime; he is not a star, but he has an impressive pedigree (Juventus youth system; stints in Serie B and La Liga; oft-capped at the U-21 level by Italy).

Rossi-to-RBNY is not the craziest idea the rumor mill has come up with recently. Whether he is ready for RalfBall is a different question, but KC is a club with a similar enthusiasm for a high-pressing game, so Rossi has already attracted attention from a team with at least comparable demands of its players.

One to watch as the MLS off-season unfolds.