KUALA LUMPUR: A 15 year-old Malaysian footballer, Sean Gan Giannelli, will join Italian Serie D side Atletico Arezzo's Under-17 team in the Tuscany region on Monday after having impressed the club's coaches and technical staff.

 Sean, who is of Italian-Malaysian parentage, is a student of Bukit Jalil Sports School and trains and plays with the Under-17 Bukit Jalil squad -  the feeder to the Malaysian national team.

 His father, Massimo, told Bernama from Milan that he was proud of his son's progress as he is the first Malaysian to enter Italy's youth football club system after attending trials in June.

"He is a very ambitious young man and his goal in life is to play professional football at the highest level in Europe and from what he has achieved so far, the sky is the limit," he said, adding he was now making preparations for Sean's stay in Italy.

Arezzo have former Argentina international Abel Balbo as their head coach. He scored 150 goals in Italy's Serie A as a striker while playing  with Roma, Udinese, Fiorentina, Parma and Argentine club Boca Juniors.

- Bernama