St Patrick's Athletic have confirmed that defender James Abankwah has joined Serie A side Udinese for what is believed to be a League of Ireland record up-front fee.
The 18-year-old has signed a deal with the Italian side following an impressive breakthrough season that saw him make 13 appearances in all competitions for the Athletic.
He will stay with Tim Clancy's Saints for the first half of the season and complete his Leaving Cert before making the move to the northern Italian city to link up with their first team.
Longford native Abankwah, who played junior football with Melview and Cherry Orchard, made an impression on debut as a substitute in a 1-0 league win over Derry City in July.
And his performances, including one in the FAI Cup final as the Saints ran out winners in a penalty shoot-out, have prompted Udinese to shell out a fee in excess of €500,000.
That fee would be marginally above the up-front fees paid by Manchester City for Gavin Bazunu and Celtic for Liam Scales, both to Shamrock Rovers, that were around the same mark.
"I'm buzzing and absolutely delighted that the deal is gone," the defender told St Patrick's Athletic's official website.
"I found out last week about the interest, flew out on Monday, had my medical on Tuesday and signed today so I'm really looking forward to it.
"The people here are lovely, they've been very welcoming, the city is very nice. I'm feeling very happy right now and I'm lost for words.
"I'd like to thank St Pat's, Cherry Orchard, Melview FC and Letterkenny Rovers. I'm looking forward to getting going and still have a big six months at St Pat's and my Leaving Cert."
