Unitedwill pay Petrucci £95,000 a year and will cover the cost of regularflights home to Italy. The deal is the maximum permissible offer for ayouth-team player. Roma will receive around £200,000 in compensationbut the move has caused fury.
"It is a nightmare,"said Il Romanista, a newspaper dedicated to Roma. "Manchester Unitedhave dealt us another low blow, stealing Petrucci from under our noses,probably the best product of our youth system. In three to four years,he will be worth 100 times as much."
Petrucci, whocomes from the San Basilio suburb of Rome, has been compared to a youngFrancesco Totti and could have made the first-team squad next year.However, Roma offered him a contract worth only £16,000 a year, thebasic youth-team deal. Petrucci was also said to be concerned that hehad not already been called up to the first team. Totti made his debutin 1993 when he was 16.
Bruno Conti, Roma'stechnical director, said the club were unwilling to improve the termsbecause it would upset other youth-team players who had already signedsimilar deals, including Riccardo Brosco, a defender who has alreadybeen promoted to the full squad.
Conti said Petrucci would have been given opportunities to show his value next season.
Romahave a history of developing youth players. Daniele De Rossi andAlberto Aquilani have come through the system in the past two years andare now playing for Italy.
Roma are unable tocontest the signing, since Italian rules state it is impossible tooffer a professional contract to anyone under 17. Petrucci's birthdayis in October.
Meanwhile, Patrice Evra has signedon for four more years at United. His contract extension is worth£75,000 a week. "United is more than a club, it is a family," saidEvra. "I'm proud to be a part of it."
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