Lazio announced on their official website on Thursday that the club have signed Serbia international striker Petar Ratkov from Red Bull Salzburg.

According to Lazio's official statement, Ratkov has signed on a long-term four-and-a-half-year deal with the club which runs until the summer of 2030. He will also wear the number 20 jersey which was previously worn by France U23s international striker Loum Tchaouna who is of Chadian descent.

After completing his transfer, Ratkov, who was interviewed by the Lazio official website for the first time, said: "I am incredibly happy. I have finally joined a very big club, and one of the biggest clubs in Italy."

"Here, we have a group of excellent players and a great coaching staff. Everything is perfect for me, and I can't wait to start training and playing."

"My goal is to stay healthy, score as many goals as possible for Lazio, and help the club finish in the top six."

"As a child, I watched many Serie A matches. Many of the world's best strikers have played in this league. I came here to improve and grow, and to score as many goals as possible. As a young player, you always want to play and score in one of the best leagues in the world, and that's why I chose to come here."

About Petar Ratkov

The 22-year-old Ratkov was born on August 18, 2003, in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. He is 1.93 meters tall, primarily plays as a center forward, but can also play as a left winger. He holds Serbian, Croatian, and Bulgarian citizenship. 

Ratkov played for a local football academy in Belgrade during his childhood. After graduating, he joined the Báčka Topola youth academy and completed his Báčka Topola first-team debut by coming on as a substitute in a match against Red Star Belgrade in March 2021.

During his three-year spell at Báčka Topola, Ratkov's outstanding performances and high goal-scoring efficiency earned him a place on the list of the top 100 young talents in European leagues by the authoritative Swiss football statistics agency, CIES Football Observatory, at number 79.

In July 2023, Ratkov joined Red Bull Salzburg for €5 million.

During his two-and-a-half-year spell at Salzburg, Ratkov made 99 appearances for the Austrian Bundesliga powerhouse in all competitions, scoring 22 goals and providing 15 assists, where he helped the club reach the Austrian Cup semi-finals once and set a record for the fastest goal in Austrian Bundesliga history (6 seconds) in a match in 2024.