Nalitzis given Sporting chance

Sporting Clube de Portugal have signed Greek striker Dimitris Nalitzis on loan.

Niculae injured
Nalitzis arrived in Lisbon on Sunday and passed a medical the following day. The Lisbon-based club have taken the forward as a replacement for the injured Marius Niculae. The Romanian striker, who has netted seven times so far this season, is ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a serious injury.

'Very happy'
Nalitzis was registered with the Italian side Udinese Calcio, but has been on loan with AC Perugia this season, where he has only made two league appearances in Serie A, as a substitute. "I'm very happy to be at Lisbon, because Sporting is one of the biggest clubs in Europe," Nalitzis said.

Option to buy
The 25-year-old is expected to stay in Lisbon until the end of the season, at which point Sporting will have an option to buy him. Nalitzis made a name for himself while with Greek side FC PAOK Thessaloniki when he scored 20 goals in two seasons, between 1999 and 2001.