Edoardo Bove agrees contract termination with Roma after heart scare

Edoardo Bove has agreed to terminate his contract with Roma after a harrowing heart scare which is set to take the midfielder to England.

Bove’s promising career was left in the balance after he collapsed on the pitch in December 2024 while playing on loan for Fiorentina in a high-profile fixture with Inter Milan.

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in his career,” said Roma in a statement.

The 23-year-old has not played since being discharged from hospital with a defibrillator installed, a device which has forced him to move abroad if he is to continue playing professional football.

The permanent presence of a defibrillator, which ensures a regular heartbeat, bars footballers from playing in Italy due to the stringent health regulations which govern sport in the country.

Christian Eriksen had to leave Inter in 2021 in the wake of his cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at that year’s European Championship.

Italian media widely report that Bove is set to sign for Watford, who compete in the second-tier Championship in England.

Bove  broke into the first team at his hometown team Roma while still a teenager in 2021, and was trusted by Jose Mourinho.

His best moment for Roma was scoring the only goal in the first leg of the capital club’s Europa League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen, a tie Mourinho’s team won before losing the final on penalties to Sevilla.