Official: Pafundi joins Sampdoria as Italy hope drops to Serie B | OneFootball

Italy international Simone Pafundi has officially completed his transfer from Udinese to Sampdoria, on loan with an option to buy, as his career path takes another unexpected twist.

The creative midfielder only celebrated his 19th birthday in March, but has been shuttled around several clubs during his brief career.

The latest is Sampdoria, where he has made the move on loan with an option to make it permanent at the end of the season.

Pafundi career hasn’t gone as planned

UDINE, ITALY – MARCH 23: Simone Pafundi of Italy during the UEFA EURO 2024 Elite Round Qualifier between Czech Republic U19 and Italy U19 at Stadio Friuli on March 23, 2024 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

A product of the Udinese youth academy, Pafundi was considered a huge hope for Italian football and given his first senior cap in November 2022 by Roberto Mancini, aged 16 years and 247 days.

However, he never really made his mark at club level and his promise rather petered out.

He joined Swiss side Lausanne-Sport in January 2024 on loan with an option to buy for €15m, but it was allowed to expire in December 2024 after one goal and two assists in 20 competitive games.

The trequartista only made 19 Serie A appearances for Udinese, failing to contribute any goals.

Now he drops into Serie B for troubled Sampdoria.