Pisa announced on its official website on Thursday that Independiente's Chile international defensive midfielder Felipe Loyola has joined the club on-loan.

According to the newly promoted Serie A side's official statement, Loyola will play for the club on loan until the end of the season. The loan agreement includes a conditional buy-out clause, which will be automatically triggered after Loyola makes five appearances for Pisa.

Furthermore, according to The Athletic's resident renowned South American football chief news correspondent Felipe Cardenas, Pisa will pay Independiente a loan fee of €1.3 million, plus €20,000 in performance-related bonuses. His total buy-out fee is set at €9.75 million.

The buy-out fee for Loyola can be paid in two installments. The first installment of 70%, or €5.5 million, is required, and the remaining 30%, or €4.25 million, must be paid in the second installment.

Meanwhile, Cardenas added that he was quite surprised that Pisa was able to successfully sign Loyola, as Santos, Porto, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Bayer Leverkusen had all previously joined the race for his signature.

It's worth mentioning that Loyola is Pisa's third signing so far this winter transfer window. Nigerian striker Rafiu Durosinmi even scored last weekend, helping the club, located at the place where the famous Italian landmark, Leaning Tower is at, pull off a stunning late draw against Atalanta.

About Felipe Loyola

The 25-year-old Loyola was born on November 9, 2000, in Santiago, Chile. He is 1.77 meters tall and primarily plays as a defensive midfielder but can also play as a right-back. He holds dual Chilean and Spanish citizenship.

Loyola joined the youth academy of Chilean powerhouse Colo-Colo at the age of eight. After being promoted to their first-team in 2020, he was immediately loaned-out to Second Division side Fernandez Vial, and his ownership was subsequently bought outright by the latter the following year.

During his three-year spell with Fernandez Vial, Loyola won the Chilean Segunda División title once.

In January 2023, Loyola was loaned-out to Huachipato, and his ownership was permanently bought out the following January.

During his 18-month spell with Huachipato, Loyola won the Chilean Primera División title once.

In the summer of 2024, Loyola joined Independiente for €1.2 million.

During his year-and-a-half spell with Independiente, Loyola made 62 appearances for the Argentine Primera División club in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing 7 assists.

Image source: Internet / Pisa official website