Wednesday 6 July, 2005
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Fiorentina are on the verge of ending Stefano Fiore’s nightmare spell in Spain with Valencia.
The midfielder is desperate to return to Italy and the Viola have emerged as the leading candidate for his signature.
Whispers in Italy today suggest that Valencia have sent a fax to the Italian outfit stating that they are ready to release the player on loan.
The deal will cost the Tuscan giants around £1.5m, but will include an option to buy the player outright next summer.
Fiore joined Valencia last July when he left Lazio, along with Bernardo Corradi, in a combined £8m transfer.
He spent most of the last campaign on the sidelines and has made no secret of his desire to go back to Serie A.
Inter, bossed by former Lazio Coach Roberto Mancini, were keen but Fiorentina are in pole position.
Viola tactician Cesare Prandelli believes Fiore would be an ideal addition to their midfield after the departures of Enzo Maresca and Christian Obodo.
Fiorentina, who only just survived the drop last term, have been one of the busiest clubs on the transfer market so far this summer.
They’ve already signed Sebastien Frey, Alessandro Gamberini, Cristian Brocchi, Manuel Pasqual and Marco Donadel. |