Turin, Jan 19 (IANS) Italian football champions Juventus on Tuesday announced the signing of midfielder Rolando Mandragora on a five-year contract from Serie A rivals Genoa.
“Juventus Football Club can today confirm the signing of Rolando Mandragora from Genoa,” Juventus said in a statement.
“The midfielder joins for an initial fee of six million euros (around $6.5 million), payable over the next three financial years. This figure could increase by a further six million euros should he achieve certain sporting targets stipulated in the agreement,” the statement added.
However, the club revealed that the left-footed player will spend the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign on loan at Delfino Pescara 1936.
Born in Naples on 18 June, 1997, Mandragora began his budding career with A.C. Ponticelli before moving to Genoa’s youth academy in the 2011/12 season.
The last campaign saw him make a major breakthrough, as he was promoted to the first-team, for whom he made his Serie A debut against Juventus on October 29, 2014.
The 18-year-old went on to play five times before switching this term to Pescara, where he has made 16 appearances in Serie B, providing an assist, as well as featuring once in the Coppa Italia.
Consistently strong performances over the years have also opened doors to the national youth sides: four appearances for the Under-17s, one for the U-18s, ten for the U-19s (finding the target on September 5, 2014 against Slovakia) and six for the U-21s.
Mandragora boasts physical strength and tactical versatility among his main attributes, his preferred position being that of sitting just in front of the defence.
