Maltese footballer Haley Bugeja has officially joined Italian giants Inter, the club announced on Tuesday.

Bugeja joins the Milan-based club, coached by former Juventus manager Rita Guarino, on a three-year deal after a one-year spell with Orlando Pride in the US.

Inter becomes Bugeja’s second Italian club after her spell at Sassuolo between 2020 and 2022.

The Maltese striker took the Italian top flight by storm in her debut year after topping Sassuolo’s scoring charts with 12 goals.

In total, she scored 15 goals in 36 games in all competitions for Sassuolo including one in the final game of the 2021/2022 season in a 2-1 victory over her new club Inter.

She is expected to join Inter’s pre-season in the latter stages of July.

Last season, Inter missed out on a Women’s Champions League spot after finishing fifth in the Italian championship.

In the US, Bugeja clocked just 139 minutes over five matches between the second part of the 2022 campaign and the opening part of the 2023 appointments.

Her last appearance for the club was on May 11 when the former Mġarr United player was fielded from the start in the 4-2 defeat against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Bugeja became the Pride’s youngest-ever player when she made her debut in the NWSL, last September. She came on from the bench in a home game against North Caroline Courage.

In the process, she also became just the fourth youngest player to feature in the NWSL. 

Last year, Bugeja was listed among the best players aged 21 and under in a selection conducted by ESPN