Rui Patricio has left Wolverhampton Wanderers to join AS Roma.
The move was finally made official last night, after weeks of speculation.
The transfer is reported to be worth around £10 million to Wolves (BBC Sport), and Jose Sa is waiting in the wings to replace him.
News of Sa’s arrival could arrive later today.
Patricio becomes new Roma manager Jose Mourinho’s first signing at the club.
Patricio had been with Wolves since the summer of 2018, joining from Sporting CP, where he had been his whole career.
The stopper left the Portuguese giants after fans attacked the club’s training ground.
Three months after his arrival, Wolves and Sporting settled on a fee of £16 million (The Athletic).
That proved to be fantastic value for money, with Patricio making significant contributions to Wolves’ back-to-back seventh place finishes in the Premier League. And also the runs to the FA Cup semi-final and Europa League quarter-final.
He made 127 appearances for the club, keeping 37 clean sheets.
Without doubt, Sa has big gloves to fill when he comes to Molineux.
Patricio was a popular figure, and he clearly loved his time in the Black Country.
Last night he posted a lengthy statement on his Instagram: “I would like to say thank you to all Wolves fans, players and staff for your love and support since the day that I entered your ‘pack’.
“It means a lot to me, all that you have done for me and my family! I will never forget…
“It was a great pleasure to work in England, specifically Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, giving all of me always, in every single moment of my work!
“I’m thankful for the opportunity of growing together! Happy times come and go but the memories with Wolves will stay forever with me! It’s not goodbye! We will be forever connected.”
There were plenty of people in the comments wishing him well, including Pedro Neto, whose ‘Boa sorte maquinaaaa’ translates to ‘Good luck machine’.
