Thijs Dallinga can officially call himself a player of Bologna. The 23-year-old attacker, originally from Toulouse, signed a four-year contract with the number five in the Serie A last season after a successful medical examination. According to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, Bologna is paying twelve million euros for Dallinga, an amount that can increase further due to bonuses.

Dallinga is seen as the successor to Joshua Zirkzee at Bologna. The Dutch international managed to play for the Dutch national team in 58 matches. in Red Blue fourteen times to find the net. He also provided nine assists. Zirkzee played an important part in Bologna's Champions League ticket and transferred to Manchester United for more than forty million euros.

At Bologna, Dallinga will be dealing with Vincenzo Italiano. The 46-year-old coach was recently appointed as successor to Thiago Motta, who was plucked away by Juventus after two successful seasons at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. Italiano guided Fiorentina to two consecutive Conference League finals, losing to West Ham United and Olympiacos respectively.

The multi-million transfer to Bologna will end Dallinga's tenure in Ligue 1. Toulouse took over the single-cap international of the Dutch national team from Excelsior in the summer of 2022 for 2.5 million euros, where he had just had a super season.

Since then, the Groningen native has made quite a name for himself. 86 matches for the club yielded 37 goals and 8 assists, which attracted interest from Serie A. Bologna now dares to take a chance with the Dutch attacker.

Dallinga can make his official debut for Bologna on August 18. On that day, the new season in the Serie A will be opened at home against Udinese. On Thursday, August 29, a draw will determine which clubs Bologna will face in the group stage of the Champions League.

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