Tajon Buchanan is set to become the first Canadian to play in Serie A after his transfer from Brugge to Italian leader Inter Milan. The transfer fee for the 24-year-old was seven million euros ($10.26 million CAD) but could rise to 10 million euros ($14.65 million) with bonuses, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport. Having signed a contract through 2027-28, the Brampton, Ont., native will earn about 1.5 million euros ($2.2 million) per season.

Jonathan De Guzman, born in Scarborough, Ont., previously featured in Italian league for Napoli in 2014, but represented the Netherlands internationally. With Juan Cuadrado injured and Denzel Dumfries's contract still not renewed, Buchanan gives coach Simone Inzaghi a new option on the right wing. He has played at both right back and in midfield as a winger.

Buchanan’s deal is seen as the biggest move a Canadian man has made in European soccer since Alphonso Davies’ $15M transfer to Bayern Munich from the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2019. Inter’s pursuit of Buchanan began in 2022, following his impressive FIFA World Cup performance in Qatar, and he finally arrived in Milan on Thursday morning to complete his medical checks and sign on the dotted line.

Buchanan was selected as the ninth pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft from Syracuse University and was named in the MLS All-Star team and MLS Best XI of 2021. He also made his international debut in the same year, and to date, has scored four goals for Canada across 35 matches. He also registered his country’s first-ever assist in a World Cup. Club Brugge invested $7M for Buchanan’s services in January 2022, where he made over 67 appearances for the Belgian heavyweights, including six in the UCL and eight in the UEFA Conference League.

Buchanan is not expected to be called upon for Inter’s next Serie A match against Hellas Verona, and may have to wait until mid-January to make his debut when the Beneamata travels to Saudi Arabia to contest the Italian Super Cup tournament against Lazio, Fiorentina and Napoli.