Milan have taken up their option to sign teenage Cathal Heffernan from Cork City on a permanent deal, the Irish club confirmed on Monday.
The 17-year-old joined the Rossoneri on loan in January as they opted to keep him in their Primavera side rather than send him back to his former side for the remainder of the campaign.
A Cork City statement read: “Cork City FC can confirm that Cathal Heffernan is to join AC Milan, after the Italian side exercised their option to sign him permanently following his loan spell.
“Heffernan joined Milan at the end of January on loan, having made his first team debut for City in the final game of the 2021 season. Prior to that, he played at Under 15, 17 and 19 level for the club after joining from Ringmahon Rangers in 2019.”
Heffernan joined Milan in January despite interest from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
Reports at the time suggested the Rossoneri decided to make the move on the final day of the transfer window after opting against pushing to sign Lille’s Sven Botman, who remains a transfer target this summer.
The decision being they would instead invest the money in youth products as they signed 18-year-old Marko Lazetic as well as Heffernan.
Milan paid €50,000 plus bonuses for Heffernan’s loan and had the option to make the deal permanent with a contract to 2024, the report adds.
We can confirm that Cathal Heffernan is to join @acmilan, after the Italian side exercised their option to sign him permanently following his loan spell.
Full story 👇🏼#CCFC84 | #WeAreCity
— Cork City FC (@CorkCityFC) June 20, 2022
Well done. Would be great to see him around the first team this season. Milan clearly have a build and develop plan with a few recent youth signings.