Official: Santiago Gimenez joins Porto on loan with conditional obligation to buy deal

Santiago Gimenez has completed his loan switch to Porto from AC Milan, and there will be a conditional obligation to buy.

Throughout the summer there had been talk that Gimenez and his agent were looking for a new club, as the striker was not considered a part of Ruben Amorim’s plans. Various different sides were linked, but it always felt like Porto were the team out ahead.

Sure enough, over the weekend the ‘here we go’ came from Fabrizio Romano, confirming that an initial loan agreement had been reached between the clubs. It is a free loan, with €18m plus bonuses being the option to buy, which could become mandatory based on various parameters.

Gimenez to Porto official

A statement on the official website has confirmed the deal: “AC Milan can confirm that Santiago Gimenez has joined FC Porto on loan, with an option to make the deal permanent – an option that will become an obligation upon the fulfilment of specific conditions. The loan runs until 30 June 2027.

“The Club would like to thank Santi for the professionalism and dedication that he has shown and wish him all the best for the upcoming season.”

Porto meanwhile write: “Santiago Gimenez is FC Porto’s newest signing, arriving from AC Milan on loan with an option to buy. Before moving to Italy, the 51-time Mexican international striker scored 65 goals and provided 14 assists, winning three titles with Feyenoord.”

It could be that Gimenez has played his last game for Milan, having been a €30m+ striker 18 months ago when he arrived from Feyenoord, an addition that generated a lot of excitement.