Transfer Tuesday: It's happening

Current Fiorentina players

Let's start with Manuel Pasqual. Since losing the captain's armband, he's been linked with moves to various clubs, notably AC Milan and, most recently, Sampdoria. The player himself has remained characteristically professional, insisting that his mind is only on the next game.

Federico Bernardeschi has had a brilliant year thus far, and has been rewarded with a lengthy contract extension and purported interest from Barcelona. Well, now Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern Munich are all sniffing around as well, although we reiterate that it's highly unlikely that Berna would move.

Mati Fernández, however, seems like a realistic candidate for departure, given his limited role under Paulo Sousa. Milan are monitoring him, and Torino seem even more interested. He could also be used as a make-weight, with a swap for Samp's Fernando mooted, as well as one with centerback Armando Izzo of Genoa. Sounds like we may be reaching the end of the Matigol era.

Less likely to leave is Matías Vecino, who is being pursued desperately by Napoli. The Partenopei tried to sign him in the summer, and are trying again in this window, reportedly offering €35 million for the young Uruguayan and Nikola Kalinić. Since that one was laughed off, they've offered a swap for Manolo Gabbiadini, and are still desperately trying to sign the midfielder, and will continue to fail.

The player most likely to leave this window seems to be Giuseppe Rossi. We've covered why this makes sense elsewhere, so here's the nitty-gritty. Samp and Real Betis have expressed interest in a 6-month loan, and there have also been rumors of a loan swap for Luis Muriel; wherever he goes, it seems that it'll be on loan.

Ante Rebic is another forward heavily linked to a move away in search of regular minutes. In his case, Empoli are sniffing around, and there's also the possibility of loan swap with promising Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon. Either way, expect the Viola 11 shirt to be open for the second half of the season.

And we'll end this section on a weird note. Oleksandr Yakovenko is embroiled in a bizarre situation. He wants his release, or at least a loan move away, although his status as a Fiorentina player remains murky. If you want to delve into the whole thing, have a look here.

Defenders

We'll start with the most frequently-discussed possible arrival: Benfica centerback Lisandro López. The Viola's long-standing interest seemed likely to pay dividends until the injury to Luisão last month thrust the Argentinean defender into the starting lineup, leading the Portuguese giants to state that the previously surplus player was no longer for sale. Now, though, López' agent has stated that any move away will have to be a permanent one (no loans), and that Fiorentina is an attractive option for the player. From the Gigliati side, he's still reportedly the top option, although the club is weighing up alternatives as well.

That list of touted alternatives is pretty darn long. Milan's Philippe Mexès is apparently back on the radar, and the interest in L'OM's Nicolas Nkoulou remains high, despite Lazio also keeping tabs on him. Another familiar, albeit highly unlikely, face is that of Stefan Savić, who's found the Atlético Madrid backline tough to crack (probably because he shaved the stache). Éder Balanta of River Plate remains a person of interest, as does Tottenham Hotspur misfit Federico Fazio, whose father has mentioned Fiorentina as a potential destination.

For more than pure and baseless speculation Francesco Acerbi of Cesena is rumored to be nearing a move.

We've heard even more about his Florence-born teammate Lorenzo Tonelli, on whom Fiorentina are supposedly closing in on him despite Cesena's best efforts.

Rightback is another position that's seen a lot of rumor traffic for the January mercato. The most recent whispers concern Giulio Donati of Bayer Leverkusen, who's out of a contract at the end of the year and was tapped for a move to Florence this summer; he's been coy about a move to Fiorentina, but a lot of outlets have reported the mutual interest.

Another long-term target whose name has popped again is Davide Santon of Inter Milan. However, he's supposedly just a backup plan for Paulo Sousa's preferred target: Sylvan Widmer of Udinese. Despite numerous statements from the management that the Zebretti want to keep the young Swiss wingback, Fiorentina have supposedly made an approach, possibly using Mario Suárez as a sweetener, and everything's gone awfully quiet since.

Midfielders

Apparently Fiorentina are also looking to reinforce the midfield with Suárez almost certainly set to leave. Ricardo Saponara of Empoli is one we've heard a lot about recently, with the Della Valles supposedly having given the okay for an approach, possibly using a Jaime Báez loan to sweeten the deal. The other one that's gaining steam lately is Cesena's Stefano Sensi, although Milan are also circling for the possible Suárez replacement. Samp's Roberto Soriano, on the other hand, has fallen behind Sensi and de Roon in Fiorentina's sights as Milan circle for him and his director flatly denies that the player will move in January.

There are a number of longer shots, as well. We'll start with Brayan Angulo, the 24-year-old Colombian trequartista with Independiente Medellín. He's drawn Juan Humberto Quintero comparisons, and is thought to be a target for both Fiorentina and Bologna. 21-year-old Spanish midfielder Víctor Camarasa has impressed for Levante this year and is being tracked by a host of clubs, including la Viola. Former Milan midfielder Bryan Cristante is supposedly an option as well, with Fiorentina looking to bring him back to Italy from Benfica. Alberto Grassi of Atalanta is another promising backup option.

Attackers

Let's start with another Atalanta player: Papu Gómez. The winger has been targeted by the Viola for years, and is (again) close to a move, possibly in the neighborhood of €8 million. Club Brugge's Brazilian winger Felipe Gedoz remains a fixture in the rumors as well, with sources claiming an imminent deal. Udinese striker Cyril Thereau is more of a depth option, although the club has apparently submitted some inquiries about him.

Let's wind this thing up with some of the more speculative attacking additions, roughly in order of credibility. Colombian winger Fabián Castillo is rumored to be Club América-bound after a strong season with FC Dallas, although there are reports that Fiorentina or Bologna could hijack the deal for the 23-year-old. Andy Najar is a 22-year-old wide man from Honduras, capable of playing on the wing or at fullback; he's supposedly available from Anderlecht for €5 million. Marseille's Argentinean wingerLucas Ocampos, once touted as a potential world-beater, has been pretty underwhelming; a loan move could be just what he needs, with Fiorentina providing a landing spot. Shakhtar Donetsk's Bernard is may be a Sousa favorite, although nobody's said anything about bringing him to Florence yet. 20-year-old striker Shani Tarashaj is the latest in a long line of young Swiss attackers to impress, and is being tracked by most of the bigger clubs in Europe, including Fiorentina. And, as we always try to close with a funny one, here ya go: Monaco's Stephan El Shaarawy hasn't clicked on for the principality club and could be looking for a move back to Italy, with Florence a possible landing spot. Yikes.

So that's what we've got for now. The window opens the day after tomorrow; we'll have an actual preview up here pretty soon. Until then, enjoy the silliness.