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Signing number nine of the transfer window is here! George Pușcaș is officially a Reading player after confirmation of his move from Inter Milan. The 23-year-old joins after the Royals paid a reported club-record fee of around £8 million to the Italian side, who he made just seven appearances for in six years. He has agreed a five-year deal.
Much of the Romanian’s playing time has come out on loan at Bari, Benevento, Novara and then Palermo last season, where he scored nine goals in 33 games in Serie B. He has also turned out for Liberty Oradea and Bihor in his home country.
Where the forward has particularly caught the eye though has been the international stage while representing Romania. Despite having eight caps (four goals) for the senior side, Puscas featured at this summer’s Under-21 European Championship and made the team of the tournament after scoring four goals - including one against England.
His performances attracted the attention of multiple clubs - Birmingham City reportedly came close to signing him - but Reading have won the race to sign this highly-rated prospect. Jose Gomes said:
“George is a young, hungry, talented forward with a natural instinct to score goals. Without goals you cannot win games and we now have different options to choose from in the final third of the field. I am looking forward to welcoming him into our squad at Reading.”
The Royals may not be done yet in the transfer market though. In his press conference on Wednesday, Jose Gomes confirmed that the club were looking at ‘one more’ signing on loan before the deadline.
Watch this space.