El Shaarawy heading back to Rome

Stephan El Shaarawy is close to joining AS Roma for the third time. He initially made the move from AC Milan on loan back in January 2016. Six months later, he signed for the Giallorossi on a permanent transfer worth €13 million. He is reportedly back in Italy and will become a Roma player once more if his medical examinations, including a mandatory Covid-19 test, come back OK.

The Italian international had left Roma to sign for Shanghai Shenhua in a €16 million transfer 18 months ago but has made just 16 league appearances for the Chinese side, scoring only one goal. At 28, he has enough time to get his career back on track in his homeland and could yet add to 28 caps he’d won for Gli Azzuri since making his debut in 2012.

Multiple sources have reported that El Shaarawy agreed to terminate the remainder of his contract with Shangai and effectively lose €20 million in remaining salary just to be able to make a move back to Olimpico. It was documented that Roma tried to get Stephan last summer but were unable to complete the deal due to a paperwork hiccup. But they’ve got their man now just in time as they look to secure another season of Champions League football.

El Shaarawy started his senior career at Genova before making a move to AC Milan. He became a full international while on Rossoneri’s books, although he was sent on loans to Monaco and Roma. The latter seemed to have suited him the most as he developed a real bond with the fans in the capital.