Juve sign Lazio's Stendardo on loan

Juventus have signed Lazio defender Guglielmo Stendardo on loan until June, the Serie A club's Web site (www.juventus.com) said.

Third-placed Juve have a defensive injury crisis and have brought in Italian Stendardo after a move to buy Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg stalled.

Juve had originally planned to recruit the Swede in June when his Villa contract runs out but the injury problems forced the Turin club to move sooner, only for Villa to block an early deal.

Stendardo's move comes despite the defender being in the middle of a three-match league suspension.

Jorge Andrade and Giorgio Chiellini are injured while Juve surprisingly loaned young defender Domenico Criscito to Genoa and sold out-of-form centre back Jean-Alain Boumsong to Lyon. Claudio Ranieri's side are also expected to seal Mohamed Sissoko's transfer from Liverpool, having sent the ineffective Sergio Almiron on loan to Monaco.

The Mali midfielder jetted to Italy for a medical on Sunday and is set to sign later on Monday before heading back to the African Nations Cup in Ghana where his side face Ivory Coast on Tuesday.