Roma have finalized the acquisition of Eldor Shorumorodov from Genoa. The Giallorossi wanted to bring in another offensive contributor and quickly identified the Uzbek as the ideal candidate. José Mourinho requested him directly, Sky Sport reports. The forward inked a five-year contract with his new club.
Roma have paid €17.5M plus add-ons for the permanent signing. The Grifone will also get 20 percent of a future sale. The player quickly agreed to the move as he is a big fan of the Portuguese gaffer. He scored 8 times in 31 appearances in his first Serie A season. Genoa signed him for €7.5M from Rostov last year. He has hit the net 22 times in 49 caps with his national team.
The 26-year-old attacker primarily featured as a second-striker in the past campaign. He can also play as no.9 and on the wings, which intrigued the Roma brass. They were after Sardar Azmoun, but he turned out to be too expensive. Shomurodov already met Mourinho in Moscow two years ago through the intercession of his agent. He will join Edin Dzeko and Borya Mayoral in the front-line, who are likely to stay put.
The move will not only add depth for the Giallorossi but also unlock Genoa’s transfer market. They will have to replenish their attack, which also lost Gianluca Scamacca and Marko Pjaca. They are one step away from Trabzonspor’s Caleb Ekuban and Atalanta’s Sam Lammers, the outlet adds. Goran Pandev is also expected to re-join them and he has elected to continue playing.