Artem Dovbyk gave up over €1m to push through his transfer to Roma, snubbing interest from Milan and Atletico Madrid to join up with Daniele De Rossi and the new project in the Eternal City.
The 27-year-old Ukrainian striker landed in the Italian capital on Thursday and will soon be announced as a new Giallorossi player, ready to put pen to paper on a five-year contract worth circa €3.5m net per season after circa €36m deal was agreed with Girona.
Dovbyk was heavily targeted by Milan and Atletico Madrid in recent months but ultimately pushed to ensure he could join Roma this summer, giving up on €1.5m that was entitled to him through a written agreement with Girona in order to secure the transfer.
Dovbyk believes in Roma
Roma have turned course and started a new project this year, handing De Rossi a multi-year contract and hiring Florent Ghisolfi to be the new sporting director. The club have also progressed in their new stadium project, a sign of things to come in the Italian capital.
The Giallorossi have already been hot in the summer transfer market, investing in Matias Soule, Enzo Le Fee and Samuel Dahl. The club are expected to pick up a couple more reinforcements before the end of the window, hungry to close the gap to the Champions League spots.
Roma fans have a reason to be excited heading into the 2024-25 season and Dovbyk’s belief in this project should build anticipation further, as there is clearly something building in the streets of the Italian capital.
The Giallorossi haven’t taken part in the Champions League since the 2018-19 campaign, so their first order of business has to be securing a spot in Europe’s premier club competition, something that’ll bring in millions in revenue and help attract players from across Europe.
Dovbyk shined for Girona last term, scoring 25 goals and providing 10 assists across 41 matches. His arrival in the capital will give De Rossi a key boost in firepower up front, and it’s vital he forms a strong working relationship with players like Paulo Dybala and Soule.
Roma are only a few players away from having a squad that has every right to fight for a spot in the Champions League next season and De Rossi seems up to the task, putting Dovbyk right in the thick of the action in his first year in Serie A.