Serie A new boys Hellas Verona are close to completing the signing of former Portugal international, Miguel Veloso.

The 33-year old is without a club after leaving Genoa at the end of last season and is expected to put pen to paper on a one year contract.

The Benfica youth graduate only made 22 appearances for Genoa in the last campaign, as they avoided the drop by finishing 17th. 

Reunited

The move will see Veloso link up with former Genoa boss Ivan Juric, who took the reigns at Hellas last month.

Croatian Juric brought Veloso back to Genoa in the summer of 2016 after he had previously played for the club between 2010 and 2012 before leaving the Italian side for a four-year spell with Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine. 

But after being sacked by I Rossoblu in December last year, Juric has quickly found himself and in another job and has wasted no time in securing the services of a player he knows very well.

Vast experience

In his 14 years as a professional in the game, Miguel Veloso has amassed nearly 450 club appearances. Capped 56 times by his country, the holding midfielder played every minute of Euro 2012 for Portugal as they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by eventual winners Spain on penalties.

He, therefore, knows exactly what is required to play at the top level, and his experience and know-how should be valuable as the Yellow and Blues look to avoid relegation straight back to Serie B after gaining promotion through the play-offs.

Veloso is also no stranger to silverware, having won back-to-back Portuguese cups with Sporting Lisbon, as well as consecutive league titles in his four-year spell with Kyiv in Ukraine.

Hellas Verona are also close to signing another former Genoa player, defender Salvadore Bochetti who is also without a club after being released by Spartak Moscow in Russia.

The 32-year old turned out 60 times for the club between 2008 and 2010, and also includes the likes of AC Milan and Rubin Kazan amongst his former employers.

Bocchetti has also been capped five times by Italy, and his addition to the Verona squad should bolster their ranks defensively in their fight against relegation.