Edoardo Bove may be on the verge of writing the most unexpected chapter of his career. After months marked by silence, rehabilitation, and reflection, the Italian midfielder is ready to return to professional football, albeit outside Italy.

Born in 2002, Bove became one of the most dramatic stories in recent Italian sport when he collapsed on the pitch during Fiorentina-Inter on December 1, 2024, due to a cardiac arrest. The incident shook the national football community and cast doubts over the future of a player who had been considered among Italy’s most promising young talents.

Clinically, however, his recovery has been positive. Bove now lives with a subcutaneous defibrillator - a common safety device in international professional sports - and his physical condition is reportedly good. He trains regularly with a personal coach, undergoes constant medical checks, and has responded well to stress tests.

Paradoxically, the main obstacle is not medical but regulatory. In Italy, sports regulations prohibit professional athletes, including Serie A players, from competing while using implanted cardiac devices. The rules are far stricter than in other countries, such as England or the United States, where the decision depends primarily on doctors’ assessments and the athlete’s informed consent.

For this reason, Bove has reached a mutual agreement with Roma, the club that held his registration, to terminate his contract. This allows him to become a free agent and seek opportunities abroad, where regulations would allow him to play officially. The idea of continuing his career outside Italy had already emerged shortly after the incident that nearly ended his life before his career. Now, that plan is taking concrete shape. Bove is ready to consider offers, with particular interest in the English-speaking world, where Premier League clubs had already shown interest in previous months.