Italian reports on Monday confirmed that veteran striker Ciro Immobile will be sidelined for up to eight weeks after suffering a muscle injury during his first appearance with his new team Bologna against Roma in the Italian league opener. Medical examinations revealed a tear in the rectus femoris muscle of the thigh, requiring nearly two months of treatment and rehabilitation. Bologna also announced that teammate Nicolo Casali suffered a minor tear in the biceps femoris muscle and will be out for three to four weeks. Immobile recently signed a one-year contract with Bologna, with an option to extend, returning to Serie A after a year with Turkish club Besiktas. Last season, he played 31 matches for Besiktas scoring 15 goals before mutually terminating his contract. Immobile has had a distinguished career, notably with Lazio from 2016 to 2024, scoring 207 goals in 340 matches and winning the Serie A top scorer award four times.

He was also part of the Italian national team that won Euro 2020. Bologna hopes for his return before the end of the year as they prepare for Serie A and the Europa League following their Italian Cup victory last season, their first since 1974.