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17th July 2025
11:43am BST
When fans spotted Kevin Zefi on the scoresheet for Sligo Rovers against League One Mansfield, many thought they had missed news of him departing Serie A giants Roma.
It hasn't been formally announced anywhere that 20-year-old Zefi, who signed for Roma in 2024 on a three-year deal after three years at Inter Milan, has left the Italian club, but it looks as though he will be moving on this summer after turning out for Sligo Rovers as a trialist.
It's rare you see a trialist feature for a side without being let go by his parent club, or being out on loan, leaving fans perplexed as to what Zefi's situation is.
One fan said: "Trialist! How has that happened? Zeffi was well thought off in Italy a few years ago," while another said: "Why is he there?"
"Why would he bother playing in a trial game if he wasn’t interested in joining," said another, and one commenter summed it up perfectly, saying: "Odd if he's under contract to be on trial. Not something you'd see that often, if ever."
Zefi, who played 60 minutes in the match, has only played for Roma's development squad, failing to break into the first-team, and reports suggest he has interest from the EFL, Scottish leagues and Scandinavia.
It looks unlikely he will sign for Sligo Rovers, but he scored a fine goal in the ninth minute in the 3-1 defeat by Mansfield. Sky Sports suggest if Roma do sell Zefi, they will want to include a significant sell-on clause.
Zefi broke onto the scene with Shamrock Rovers in 2020 before a move to Inter in August 2021, and has played once for Republic of Ireland Under-21s.
He is also eligible to play for Albania through his parents.
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