Both AC Milan and Internazionale have confirmed the completion of a swap deal involving strikers Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini.

Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini

Cassano, 30, has joined Inter just 18 months after he moved to the Rossoneri from Sampdoria, where he enjoyed a prodigious strike partnership with Pazzini.

Pazzini, 28, also left the Genoa club in January 2011 and the cash-strapped club subsequently went into freefall and was relegated that season.

An AC Milan statement read: “AC Milan announces that it has signed from Internazionale Giampaolo Pazzini and has sold Antonio Cassano outright to Internazionale.”

Inter added in their own statement: “Today is the first day of Antonio Cassano’s adventure at Inter. This morning the striker arrived at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti, where [head coach] Andrea Stramaccioni and captain Javier Zanetti were waiting to welcome him.”

It is believed that AC Milan have paid a fee of around £5 million as part of the deal.

Cassano’s departure from Milan comes as a surprise, given that he has revived his career in his 18 months at the club and become firmly established in the Italy line-up.

“Finally I am at the team I have always supported,” the former AS Roma and Real Madrid player said in a statement.

Having been overlooked for the 2010 World Cup, the 30-year-old formed Italy’s strike partnership with Mario Balotelli at Euro 2012, despite missing six months of the season after undergoing minor heart surgery.

Cassano has had a colourful career marked by tantrums and personality clashes, but his early immaturities looked to have been ironed out when he joined Sampdoria from Real in 2007.

However, a verbal spat with the Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone led to him being suspended in 2010 and he joined Milan where he became a key factor in their Serie A triumph last year.

source