After just a single season with AC Milan, journeyman Gianluca Lapadula moved to Genoa on Tuesday on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy.
Faced with growing competition for minutes at the San Siro, the 27-year-old decided to join Genoa, which had been interested in the player for the past year.
The Grifoni agreed to pay a €2-million loan fee and another €11 million to acquire Lapadula outright, according to Sky Sport Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio.
Although Lapadula struck just eight Serie A goals for Milan, he captured the hearts of the red-and-black faithful, endearing himself through his tireless running and quiet acceptance of whatever role manager Vincenzo Montella handed him.
Lapadula only joined Milan last summer after a prolific season with Pescara in Serie B. He helped the Delfini achieve promotion to the top flight by scoring 30 goals in 44 appearances.
As he left Milan's training base, Lapadula reportedly shed tears, and in a tweet to his now-former club, he said, "An unforgettable year. I will always keep you in my heart. Thank you, AC Milan."
Un anno indimenticabile, vi porterò sempre nel cuore! Grazie! @acmilan #seriea pic.twitter.com/ymigEy3tqX
— GLapadula (@G_Lapadula) July 18, 2017
Genoa can now count on two capable strikers ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, with Diego Simeone's son, Giovanni, also at the disposal of manager Ivan Juric.
