Aberdeen have confirmed Davide Grassi has left the club to return to Italy.
Defender set for Italian return
Aberdeen have confirmed Davide Grassi has left the club to return to Italy.
Grassi had been offered a new short-term deal at Pittodrie after impressing Dons boss Mark McGhee last season.
The 24-year-old is thought to have agreed a move to an unnamed Italian club and a club spokesperson said they could understand Grassi's decision to return home.
"The club received a call to explain Davide had been offered a deal with an Italian club and given it is his homeland, his decision is understandable," a spokesperson told the club's official website.
New signing
Meanwhile, Aberdeen have tied up the signing of Northern Ireland defender Rory McArdle.
McArdle had signed a pre-contract agreement earlier in the summer but has now completed the formalities of his switch to Pittodrie.
McGhee believes McArdle will prove a key addition to his squad for next season.
"Rory McArdle represents the type of signings we are trying to make," McGhee told the club's official website.
"I want players who are going to improve the squad, are going to be good enough for the SPL but have a little bit of potential about them, some improvement in them.
"He is not the finished article and we don't know how good Rory will go on to become.
"He has just broken into the Northern Ireland international team, so there is a little bit of development there as well, which is good as we don't just want to be bringing in players who have done it, seen it and maybe lack the hunger we need. I think it is an exciting signing in that sense.
"Everything we heard about him was positive and, from what we saw of him, thought he was good enough to join us.
"In the present market, we think we have done really well to sign an international player."
