Cagliari have secured the services of the first North Korean to play and score in Serie A by tying Kwang Song Han down until 2022.
Han, 18, initially joined the club on trial in February, having first arrived in Italy in 2014 on a student visa as part of a group of North Korean youngsters looking for clubs.
One of them -- Choe Song Hyok -- was signed by Fiorentina last year, but he only made a handful of appearances for their youth team before being released at the end of 2016.
✍�� Kwang Song #Han in rossoblù sino al 2022 ����
➤ https://t.co/3GU3qjA6gE pic.twitter.com/S0wHUlj56B
- Cagliari Calcio (@CagliariCalcio) April 13, 2017
Han was also due to join Fiorentina, but a change of mind by the Serie A side saw his search for a club continue until Cagliari took him on and, after just a month training with their youth team and impressing in the Viareggio youth tournament, they signed him officially on youth terms in March.
He debuted in Cagliari's first team against Palermo on April 2 and scored his first goal in the 3-2 loss to Torino last Sunday, and now he has been rewarded with his first professional contract.
Cagliari confirmed on their website that a five-year deal, with effect from July 1, 2017, has been registered with the Lega Serie A.