RomaPress – The past two months have been very frustrating for Stephan El Shaarawy.
The former Roma and current Shanghai Shenhua attacker was just steps away from rejoining the Giallorossi, whom he left in the summer of 2019, on transfer deadline day in October. However, the deal ultimately fell through due to there not being enough time left to finalise the operation.
Since the close of the transfer window, El Shaarawy has remained in Rome and has been training non-stop to ensure he is ready to hit the ground running in January with his new club.
El Shaarawy and his brother-agent, Manuel, reached an agreement in the summer with Shanghai to allow him to leave the Chinese side on loan to help increase his odds at being called-up to the Italian national team, under the guidance of Roberto Mancini, for the European championship in 2021.
In recent weeks, however, the former Milan man has changed his idea regarding his future: he wants to remain in Italy and would prefer a permanent exit from Shanghai Shenhua instead of simply leaving on loan.
With this in mind, the 28 year-old is likely to soon opens talks with Shanghai to discuss the termination of his deal with the club.
El Shaarawy’s contract earns him nearly €16 million (net) per season and expires in 2022 — there is still a year and a half remaining until his deal expires making it far from a certainty that the parties will be able to reach an agreement quickly or easily.
Nonetheless, “il Faraone” will try to permanently leave the Chinese Super League outfit by next month, as his preference remains the same as it did in August: returning to Roma.
The potential return of El Shaarawy has already been given the green light by manager Paulo Fonseca, who was frustrated that the club couldn’t finalise a deal for him in August.
However, incoming General Director Tiago Pinto, who officially begins his post at Roma next month, has yet to give his blessing on the attacker’s arrival.
