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Montreal Impact sign playoff hero Matteo Mancosu to two-year contract

The Montreal Impact signed striker Matteo Mancosu to a permanent deal on Thursday, just before the start of the MLS season.

Mancosu, 32, joined the Impact on loan last July from Italian club Bologna, and has now signed a two-year contract with the Canadian club, which used targeted allocation money in the deal.

"We are very happy to have finalized this agreement with Matteo and to be able to count on his services for the next two years," Impact technical director Adam Braz said in a statement.

"He was able to integrate well with the group upon his arrival last year and demonstrated his qualities on the field during the latter part of the season.

"This was the first collaboration on the player front with Bologna FC and it shows the commitment between both clubs to work strongly together. We hope to continue to grow this strong relationship with them."

Mancosu scored three goals in 15 regular season games last season before catching fire in the playoffs, netting four times in five games as Montreal reached the Eastern Conference final.

A former top scorer in Serie B in Italy, Mancosu moved to Bologna in January 2015 and helped the club earn promotion to the top flight, where he scored twice in 21 games the following season.