Juventus confirmed on Wednesday that Genoa have completed the signing of Stefano Sturaro on a permanent basis.

In a statement on the club's official website, the Bianconeri said Genoa will pay a total of €16.5 million for the midfielder over the course of the next four years.

The Italian signed for Sporting CP at the start of the season on loan, but he didn't play a game for the club before returning to Juventus and going out on loan again to Genoa, where he started his career.

Per Football Italia, the loan deal included an obligation for the Serie A side to purchase the 25-year-old outright, but in their bulletin, Juventus said "pre-established contractual conditions" had been met that allowed the finalisation of the transfer to be brought forward.

It was reported in January by Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) that Juventus were in talks with Genoa over a swap deal involving Sturaro and highly rated centre-back Cristian Romero.

Sturaro has been an unused substitute in the last two games for the Rossoblu, and now his permanent future has been secured, he will be desperate to get on the pitch for Genoa again five years on from agreeing to join Juventus.

The playmaker's spell at Juventus has been mixed. While Sturaro has been part of four title-winning teams, he's never fully been able to establish himself as a first-team regular for the Italian champions—the most league appearances he made in a season for Juve was 21 in 2016-17.

The player's agent made it clear he needed a move in the summer:

He should get regular minutes away from Juventus, and Genoa supporters will be pleased to get this deal done—especially following the sale of star forward Krzysztof Piatek to AC Milan in the January window.

At his best, Sturaro can provide a major presence in midfield. After a season laced with frustration so far, this transfer may be a trigger for him to kick on again.