Joaquín wants to return to Betis

Did you think we were finally done with drama this transfer window? Not so fast.

Joaquín, the 34 year old winger who has become a firm fan favourite after his brilliant performances in big games, looked to be a core part of Paulo Sousa's vision of an attack based on more width, and until recently, it looked like Joaquín was committed to the project for at least one more year.

That has changed as Seville's Real Betis, lead by sporting director Eduardo Macía (believed to be the man who convinced Joaquín to move to Fiorentina in the first place) has tempted the winger to seek a return to his boyhood club; the Spaniard is rumored to have already agreed to personal terms.

It was long known that Joaquín wants to end his career at Betis. However, until the past week, it was assumed that such a move was at least a year away, and Joaquín had expressed his commitment to Fiorentina as recently as last month. But both Joaquín and his agent have suddenly expressed a desire to leave Firenze immediately, saying things to the effect of it being "very difficult" to continue at Fiorentina.

Fiorentina, for their part, have no interest in losing the player, and the winger is still under contract until 2016 (which could be automatically extended to 2017 if he makes at least 15 appearances this season), and, according to Marca, Real Betis want him for free, and at most for no more than one million euros.

Joaquín has been nothing but a professional during his time at Fiorentina, but the timing of these statements couldn't be any worse, with the season starting this weekend and less than two weeks left in the summer mercato. It is unknown what has prompted him to change his mind, but time is running out to find a drama-free solution that would work for all parties.