Rome  - The arrival of world champion Fabio Grosso at Juventus late Monday was the last major transfer in a summer market that began with the departure from Italy of stars Kaka and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Shortly before the market closure, Juve bought the 31-year-old left back for 3 million euros (4.3 million dollars), and are now poised to represent the most credible opponents of Serie A title holders Inter Milan.

Inter seem to have overcome Ibra's departure for Barcelona and, after a dull season start, crushed city rivals AC Milan 4-0 at the weekend, leaving the Devils wondering if they'll be able to fill the void left by Kaka, now at Real Madrid.

Inter fans are quite pleased with Nigerian newcomer Samuel Eto', who switched for Ibra from Barcelona and mans the champions' attack next to former Genoa's Argentine Diego Milito.

Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta, also from Genoa, has fit well in Jose Mourinho's team, while Lucio, another Brazilian from Bayern Munich, promptly became a defence mainstay.

Against Milan, Dutchman Wesley Sneijder did well behind the striking duo, few days after arriving from Real Madrid after a complicated negotiation.

"Without Ibra it's a different Inter," the club's general manager Ernesto Paolillo said Monday. "And I must say that they became a more varied and unpredictable team."

The Milanese champions, who seek a fifth straight title, had bought Grosso from Palermo in June 2006, during the successful World Cup campaign of the Italian squad, but rather strangely sold him to Lyon after one season.

At Juve, who are steered by new coach and former defender Ciro Ferrara, Grosso is to provide protection and pressure on the left flank, where he has proved to be an asset when in good form.

His arrival is good news for Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who can already rely on two internationals, Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Cannavaro, a veteran who is back at Juve after three seasons at Real Madrid.

A good buy for Juve was Brazilian Diego, despite a fee of 24.5 million euros paid to German side Werder Bremen.

The 24-year-old forward displayed his abilities at the weekend with an impressive brace in a 3-1 beating of Roma, while his midfield compatriot Felipe Melo, who arrived from Fiorentina for a similar amount, scored the third goal.

Milan also have a former player as new coach, Brazilian Leonardo, who still seems to have much work to do and will seek help from young Brazil defender Thiago Silva, a
24-year-old from Fluminense, and Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, 26, a promising striker from Real Madrid.

Roma seems to have lost their powerhouse status as two defeats marred their start to the season. A market move was expected after the home defeat to Juve, but no new player joined the team steered by Luciano Spalletti.

On the market's last day, Savio Nsereko, 20, a German midfielder with Ugandan origins, arrived from West Ham to Fiorentina, who had previously improved their midfield with Cristiano Zanetti and Marco Marchionni, both from Juve.

Genoa, who after two games top the standings with Sampdoria, Juve and Lazio, failed to snatch Brazilian forward Mancini from Inter, while Emanuele Blasi moved as a loan from Napoli to Palermo.  dpa