Girona have officially confirmed the signing of young veteran striker Artem Dovbyk from Ukrainian side Dnipro-1.
According to reports, Dovbyk has joined the La Liga club Girona for a transfer fee of €7 million, making him the most expensive player in the club’s history.
The Ukrainian has been signed for slightly more than 50% of his rights, while Dnipro-1 will keep the remaining portion.
Additionally, a portion of the funds will be allocated to the Danish team FC Midtjylland.
Girona FC will possibly have their attack bolstered with the addition of the 26-year-old striker Artem Dovbyk.
Artem has reportedly signed a contract that will keep him with his current team for the next five seasons, until June 2028.
In addition, Artem Dovbyk will be joining his fellow countryman Viktor Tsygankov at the Catalonia club.
He will be available immediately for Girona’s final pre-season friendly on Sunday, August 6 where they will be facing Serie A team Lazio.
According to local reports, the Girona coach, Miguel, is extremely enthusiastic about the signing of Dovbyk.
Miguel is especially drawn to the fact that Artem has already begun the new season and participated in two matches for Dnipro-1 in the Champions League qualifiers.
In one of these matches against Panathinaikos, the veteran striker successfully scored one goal.
Girona will be aiming to compete for a spot in Europe in the upcoming season and it is believed that with their latest signing, they have a good chance of achieving this objective.
Dovbyk has been brought in to replace Tati Castellanos, Girona’s top scorer from last season, who recently transferred to Lazio in Rome.
The Catalonia club will be counting on Dovbyk, who scored an impressive 32 goals in all competitions last season, to make a similar impact as Taty Castellanos did during his loan spell from New York City in the 2022-23 season.
Who is Artem Dovbyk?
Artem Dovbyk ( born 21 June 1997) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Girona and the Ukraine national team.
Artem Dovbyk‘s club career
Dovbyk is a graduate of the Olympic Reserve Specialized Sports School Slavutych in Cherkasy. He later joined the FC Cherkaskyi Dnipro Academy.
Dovbyk made his professional debut with his home team in 2014. He emerged as the victor in the 2014–15 Ukrainian Second League, showcasing his prowess by scoring a total of 7 goals.
In the summer of 2015, he signed a contract with FC Dnipro. However, in April 2016, he was sent on a three-month loan to Moldovan club FC Zaria Bălți, where he achieved success by winning the Moldovan Cup.
The 2021-22 Ukrainian Premier League season was canceled in 2022 due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Dovbyk temporarily joined Dynamo Kyiv, who were participating in charity matches in Europe for the remainder of the season, to maintain his fitness and form.
His international career
Dovbyk, at the age of 19, received his first call-up to the full national team.
He was named in the 31-player senior squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Iceland on 5 September 2016.
Dovbyk made his debut in UEFA Euro 2020 on June 29, 2021. He came on as a substitute for Andriy Yarmolenko during the extra time of the round of 16 match against Sweden.
In the stoppage time of the overtime, he successfully scored the winning goal, securing a 2-1 victory for Ukraine and ensuring their qualification to the quarter-finals.
