Pizarro unlikely to return next season

David Pizarro has been a leader and a key piece to Montella's Fiorentina side.  With a change in club philosophy, Pizarro appears to no longer be part of the club's plans, and it is unlikely he will sign a new contract.

The 35 year old Chilean midfielder, who was Montella's teammate during his spell at AS Roma, was often the coach's voice on the pitch, and was mostly used as a holding midfielder on a team whose first line of defense was retaining possession.

Fiorentina is set to speak to Pizarro, along with his fellow expiring contracts Alberto Aquilani, Alberto Gilardino, and Juan Vargas, later this summer. According to Corriere dello Sport Stadio, it is believed only Gilardino will return.

It is rumored that Pizarro will return to Chile to play for Santiago Wanderers, his first club based out of his hometown of Valparaíso (not Santiago, oddly enough). Pizarro has so far refused to discuss his future until after the Copa América. The host nation Chile faces Vargas surprise package Peru in the semifinals on Monday. Pizarro, along with Matí Fernández, has mostly been used only as a late game sub, although his voice is surely invaluable in the locker room as well.