Genoa announced on 24 August that they had reached an agreement with Preston North End for the permanent acquisition of Milutin Osmajić’s registration rights. The Montenegrin centre-forward leaves England after three seasons and arrives in Serie A at twenty-seven, on a contract the club calls multi-year without giving an end date.
The profile at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Milutin Osmajić |
| Born | 25 July 1999 (aged 27) |
| Place of birth | Podgorica, Montenegro |
| Position | Centre-forward |
| Height | 1.86 m |
| Foot | Right |
| Previous club | Preston North End |
| Deal | Permanent transfer |
| International | Montenegro (36 caps, 9 goals) |
What the statement says, what the press says
The official text from the rossoblù club sticks to the formula and to the introduction of the player. No figures, as is almost always the case with Italian club statements.
The numbers circulating in the papers put the base at around 2.5 million euros plus bonuses, with English accounts rising to 3.5 million and a sell-on percentage that would stay with Cádiz, the club that sold him in 2023. A contract until 2029 is added to that. These are journalistic reconstructions: neither club has confirmed them, and they should be read as reports.
Diego Lopez, Genoa’s chief of football, explained the choice in three words: “Milutin brings physicality, attacking weight and running in behind. We are convinced he will fit naturally into our group of forwards.” The player answered in the same register: “I give everything for the shirt I wear, and in a stadium as hot as Genoa’s I am sure I can show my qualities.”
Who Osmajić is
Born in Podgorica, he grew up and established himself at Sutjeska Nikšić, where in three seasons he put together 82 league appearances and 18 goals and won the Montenegrin title in 2018-19. In 2021 he moved to Spain, to Cádiz, and there his career stalled: 11 games in two years and no goals in La Liga.
The turning point came through loans. Six months in Turkey at Bandırmaspor, with 7 goals in 13 games, then a season in Portugal at Vizela, with 8 goals in 31 appearances. Those two years put him back in the race and convinced Preston to buy him in September 2023.
The path in numbers
| Period | Club | League appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2021 | Sutjeska Nikšić | 82 | 18 |
| 2021-2023 | Cádiz | 11 | 0 |
| 2022 | Bandırmaspor (loan) | 13 | 7 |
| 2022-2023 | Vizela (loan) | 31 | 8 |
| 2023-2026 | Preston North End | 99 | 25 |
At Deepdale he became the attacking reference of a mid-table Championship side. In 2024-25 he finished as the club’s top scorer across all competitions. Two matches tell you more about him than a goals-per-game average: the hat-trick in eight minutes against Huddersfield in April 2024 and the one at Harrogate in the Carabao Cup four months later.
What he brings to Serie A
The profile is that of a physical, link-play centre-forward rather than a creator. One metre eighty-six, a real presence in duels, running into the space behind the line: those are the three things Genoa chose to put in writing in the statement, and they match what he did in England.
It is a profile that dovetails with what Daniele De Rossi already has. Lorenzo Colombo and Vitinha are different strikers, more mobile and less built for the aerial game. Osmajić adds the option of a fixed reference in the box, the one who holds the ball when the team needs to push up and cannot do it by passing.
The risk is the league. The Championship is a high-tempo competition with wide spaces, where a striker who attacks the depth finds room almost every week. Serie A concedes far less: the lines are shorter, defences wait, and a player who lives on forward runs has to learn to play with his back to goal.
The two suspensions
Osmajić’s record also contains two heavy disciplinary sanctions, both documented by the English Football Association.
In September 2024 he received an eight-match ban and a 15,000 pound fine for biting Blackburn defender Owen Beck in a Championship derby. The player admitted the charge of violent conduct.
In November 2025 an independent commission handed him nine matches, a 21,000 pound fine and a mandatory education course for an aggravated breach of Rule E3, relating to words directed at a Burnley player the previous February. Osmajić denied the charge, the commission found it proven on the balance of probabilities, and Preston publicly declared themselves “extremely disappointed” with the decision.
They are two chapters of his sporting story, and Genoa knew about them when they signed him.
What is still to be seen
The real question is minutes. Genoa already have three forwards for one place and De Rossi is not a coach who rotates on principle: a player arriving in late August has to convince quickly.
Osmajić has the quality Genoa lacked, which is depth and weight in the box at the same time. If he turns it into goals in the first weeks, the permanent deal will look shrewd. If he takes as long as he did in Spain, it will be a long season.
Data and information gathered from public sources: official club statements, Wikipedia, statistical archives, Football Association decisions and sports press. Financial figures are press reports, not numbers confirmed by the clubs.
Frequently asked questions
How did Milutin Osmajić join Genoa?
On a permanent transfer from Preston North End. Genoa announced it on 24 August 2026, saying they had reached an agreement with the English club for the striker's registration rights.
How much did Osmajić cost Genoa?
The club released no figures. Italian and English reporting put the base fee at around 2.5 million euros plus bonuses, with other accounts rising to 3.5 million and a sell-on percentage kept by Cádiz. Those are reports, not confirmed numbers.
What kind of striker is Osmajić?
A centre-forward of 1.86 metres, right-footed, born in 1999. Genoa introduced him citing physicality, attacking weight and running in behind. In England he was a box striker who could also hold the ball up with his back to goal.
How many games did Osmajić play for Preston?
Three seasons between 2023 and 2026: 99 league appearances and 25 goals, or 111 games and 31 goals in all competitions according to English press counts. In 2024-25 he was the club's top scorer across all competitions.
How many caps does he have for Montenegro?
36 caps and 9 goals. Genoa's statement cites 26 appearances and 9 goals because it counts only competitive matches in the Nations League and in World Cup and European qualifying.
