Former Roma winger Stephan El Shaarawy is expected to return to Genoa, the club where his professional career began, after 15 years away.
The 33-year-old is understood to be close to completing a move back to the Serie A side after leaving Roma as a free agent when his contract expired on 30 June.
According to the latest information from Sky Sport Italia transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, El Shaarawy is expected to complete the formalities of the transfer, including signing his contract, by the end of Wednesday evening.
El Shaarawy began his professional career with Genoa before departing for Milan in the summer of 2011. A return to the Grifone would therefore represent a reunion with the club where he first made his name in senior football.
The Italy international has spent much of his career in Serie A and had two separate spells with Roma. Across those periods, he accumulated nine years of service and made 330 competitive appearances for the Giallorossi.
El Shaarawy has been without a club throughout the summer following the conclusion of his Roma contract. His availability had prompted interest from abroad, with reports earlier in the transfer window suggesting that Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab were prepared to offer him a contract worth €10m per season.
Despite that interest, the winger now appears set to remain in Italy and continue his career with Genoa.
The Serie A transfer window officially closed at 19:00 BST on Tuesday, 1 September. However, the deadline does not prevent Genoa from completing the deal because El Shaarawy is a free agent.
If the move is finalised, he will become Genoa’s 13th signing of the summer. The club have already brought in Lorenzo Colombo, David Puczka, Cody Drameh, Djibril Sow, Franz-Ethan Meichtry, Samuel Wiafe, Milutin Osmajic, Hamed Traore, Mario Mitaj, Elias Havel, Marcelo Vaz and Robinho Junior.
El Shaarawy won 32 caps for Italy during his international career. His return to Genoa would come more than a decade after he left the club for Milan and would give him the opportunity to restart his Genoa story after his previous departure in 2011.
The proposed transfer remains subject to the completion of the final contractual formalities, but the move is expected to be completed on Wednesday evening.
