Transfer Friday: If it don't work out

Goalkeepers

Weirdly enough, no news on this front over the past few days.

Defenders

We've gotten a few more details on the Kevin Diks deal. It's for €2.8 million (plus various bonuses with could kick it up to about €4 million), and the player's signed a 5 year contract, although we still don't have a figure for his salary. We can also confirm that 21 year old rightback Lorenzo Venuti has signed an extension with the club until 2019, and that he's also officially joined Benevento on loan for this upcoming season. Saverio Madrigali looks to be the next man up, as his agent is in Florence to meet with Corvino. Gilberto's agent has quashed any rumor that his client is returning to Brazil by claiming that the youngster's future is in Italy, opening the door for a loan to Serie B. Finally, former hope Michele Camporese, whom Fiorentina sold last year, has signed a 3 year deal with Benevento.

Lokomotiv Moscow's Vedran Ćorluka has been a popular idea as a centerback reinforcement, but his cost--approximately €8.5 million--combined with his €2.5 million salary will make any deal difficult. Gazzetta dello Sport also believes that he's not a player Corvino likes, so this may just be the media making this one up. Crotone's Gianmarco Ferrari is a slightly more credible option, as Fiorentina are thought to lead Juventus and Genoa in the race to his signature.

Even with the Diks signing, the fullback position looks primed for further evolution. The big name is Juventus man Mauricio Isla. Multiple outlets have reported that the sides are in talks, with Paulo Sousa having reached out to the player personally. Beşiktaş is also interested in the Chilean international. Davide Santon, another player linked to Fiorentina, is thought to be closing in a move to Sunderland.

Midfielders

Some rather exciting news that Abdou Diakite and Andrés Schetino will join the team at Moena. It's unlikely that they'll stick with the senior side, but should still be fun to watch them in all the friendlies, at least. As Fiorentina's quest for central midfield reinforcements continues, they could be joined by one of Novara's Paolo Faragò, Atalanta's Franck Kessié, or Juve's Luca Marrone, who all fit the profile of young, cheap, reasonably promising, and physically powerful midfielders.

We knew that Latina had redeemed former Primavera star Maxwell Acosty after his excellent season on loan, but word just leaked that the fee to buy him was €1 million, which is a nice little windfall. Bari, Benevento, Salernitana, and Spezia are all interested in buying him, too. Simone Minelli is closing in on a loan move to just-relegated Carpi, which seems like a good, albeit challenging,level for him to compete in for next year.

We've discussed Ondrej Duda previously, but as a brief update, Corvino is still working on a deal for him. Emanuele Giaccherini remains an option too, as his agent has confirmed that Fiorentina have made contact with Bologna and Sunderland for him. Adem Ljajić, though, looks unlikely to join now; after Torino's failure to bring him aboard, the door seemed wide open, but Celta Vigo have made a surprise approach for him, confirmed by their DS. While nothing's official yet, we're hearing that the sides are close to agreeing. PSG's 23 year old flyer Jean-Christophe Bahebeck is a possible replacement. He's out of contract next year and pondering his place in the Parisian side, so could be had for a discount.

Forwards

Gazzetta dello Sport believes that Corvino's plan is to sell three of the strikers he has on the roster, then reinvest those funds into another striker. Which three, though, remains undecided. The most profitable would be Nikola Kalinić, for whom Leicester City have offered somewhere between €16 and and €22 million, although La Nazione thinks it'll take €25 million to pry him loose. The player's agent has acknowledged interest from other teams, but has dismissed it as typical mercato rumor-mongering. Khouma Babacar is the most likely to leave, but so far, nobody has offered the €12 million Fiorentina want for him. His agent Patrick Bastianelli has been spotted in England, though it seems that he's likely just trying to drum up interest as Sousa is said to prefer Mauro Zárate. Giuseppe Rossi, who's back with the team after passing his medical, is undergoing a change of heart now and wants to fight for his place with the Viola; how he looks at Moena will determine his future (or lack thereof) in Florence. Mario Gómez is almost certain to leave due to his prohibitively high salary, but finding an acceptable destination has proven difficult.

Gabigol has quieted rumors of a Santos exit by signing a new extension that will keep in in Brazil until 2019; it could just be a good faith effort by the player to bring the club more money, but it almost certainly closes the door on any Viola move for him. Marko Pjaja's agent, meanwhile, has said that AC Milan are slightly in the lead for the €22 million-rated teenager. São Paulo 's 22 year old Argentinean Jonathan Calleri is back as a putative target, although the Corriere dello Sport believes Corvino will only line up an offer if Kalinić moves on. Finally, hulking former Fiorentina prospect Kenneth Zohore has resurfaced with Cardiff City, which is, um, surprising.