Manolo Gabbiadini has agreed to rejoin Sampdoria for €12m (£10.8m) and so end an unhappy spell at Southampton. The 27-year-old striker will fly to Italy on Thursday before undertaking a medical test in Genoa the following day.
Gabbiadini signed for Southampton in January 2017 from Napoli in a €17m [£14.6m] deal and he made an explosive start at St Mary’s, scoring six times in his first four matches – including two in the EFL Cup final defeat by Manchester United.
Remarkably, he would go on to score only six more goals and, after coming on as a late substitute in Ralph Hasenhüttl’s first game in charge – at Cardiff on 8 December – he has not been included in any of the manager’s other squads.
Gabbiadini, who had never previously played for a club outside of his native Italy, has had plenty of suitors this month across Europe. He has opted for a return to Serie A, where he will hope to drive Sampdoria, who he played for between 2013-2015 to a strong finish. They are seventh in the table, three points off fourth-placed Lazio.
