Dnipro-based Shakhtar has officially announced a reinforcement of its defensive line: the club has signed 21-year-old Uruguayan centre-back Alan Matturro, who moves from Italian side Genoa. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official Shakhtar FC website. The transfer has also been confirmed by other specialist outlets, including ua-football.com, TSN and Sport.ua, which makes this deal not an insider leak but a completed, legally formalised move.

Deal details: €5.5m and a contract until 2031

According to authoritative insider Fabrizio Romano, the transfer fee for Matturro cost the "miners" €5.5m, while Genoa retains the right to an additional €1m in bonuses tied to future conditions. The Uruguayan's contract with the Donetsk club runs for five years — until the summer of 2031. Such a long term for a 21-year-old player signals that Shakhtar's management sees Matturro not as temporary cover, but as part of a long-term plan to develop the defensive line.

Profile and tactical role: a utility player on the left of defence

Matturro is a left-footed defender standing 189 cm tall. Notably, he began his career in the academy as a centre-forward, but later transformed into a defensive utility player. His main position is left centre-back, which means direct competition for a starting spot with Nikolay Matvienko. If needed, Matturro is capable of covering the left flank and fitting into a three-centre-back system, giving the coaching staff additional tactical flexibility in defence.

Career path: from Defensor Sporting to Genoa

The player's home club is Montevideo's Defensor Sporting, whose colours Matturro defended from 2021 to 2023. Together with the team he won the 2022 Uruguayan Cup — the club's first trophy in 14 years. In January 2023 Alan moved to Genoa, but in total he made only 24 appearances for the Genoese side. The 2025/26 season he spent on loan at Spanish club Levante, where in 21 matches he scored 1 goal and provided 1 assist — modest but indicative figures for a young defender.

Youth World Cup and the 'Silver Ball'

The key achievement in Matturro's career was winning the U-20 World Cup gold in 2023 as part of the Uruguay national team. At the tournament he played all 630 minutes, scored 1 goal, provided 1 assist and was awarded the 'Silver Ball' as the second-best player of the championship. It is this trophy and the individual skill award that are captured in the player's official portrait wearing the Uruguay national team shirt with the number 13.

Context for Shakhtar

Signing Matturro fits logically into the Donetsk club's strategy of renewing and strengthening its defence ahead of the new season. The arrival of a left-footed defender who can play both in the centre and on the flank expands the options for building the back line and creates healthy competition in the starting XI. For the 21-year-old Uruguayan himself, the move to Shakhtar becomes the next step after his youth breakthrough and his attempts to establish himself in the Italian and Spanish leagues.