Could Milan Badelj’s future lie in Florence?

The Milan Badelj saga has taken another turn as reports say Corvino is working on a renewal of the Croatian’s contract.

Every season there are always rumours surrounding Milan Badelj, often started by his now former agent, that he’s itching to leave the club. Since he and Badelj went their separate ways there hasn’t been anything negative coming out of the Croat’s camp. Which suggests that he was never overly keen on leaving but just badly advised. Despite this, he’s never committed his future to the club. There has been known interest in the past from the likes of AC Milan, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Badelj spoke about his future last summer and how he dealt with Stefano Pioli. By the sounds of it not a lot has changed since.

“Pioli left me alone, without putting pressure on me,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

”He didn’t bombard me with the usual questions like: ‘What are you doing?’, ‘Are you going or staying?’, ‘When will you decide?’.

“A new contract? At the moment it’s not something we’re discussing, but I’m happy at Fiorentina.”

There have been suggestions this week that his future could lie in Rome but Corvino is still trying to convince him to stay. It’s most likely going to be his last attempt to try and get the midfielder to stay.

As for every thing in football, things are always changing. In spite of Corvino’s efforts, it’s still not looking promising. The relationship between Badelj and the club is said to be very positive but, he has still asked for time to think about his future. It’s getting to the stage where if he was really keen on joining he would have already signed, and the club wants people in for the long haul.

While the negotiations are set to continue, Fiorentina are already planning ahead. Possible replacements include West Ham’s Pedro Obiang and Polish youngster Szymon Zurkowski.

While it’s been a season to forget for many reasons, for Badelj himself its been a positive campaign. Being an experienced head in the heart of midfield he has shined, showing his exemplary passing skills (as displayed below) and has a calmness on the ball which is often understated.

Badelj has understandably never been seen in the same light as the likes of Borja Valero and Gonzalo Rodrgiuez. He’s also never going to be anyone’s favorite player, but he’s been an incredibly reliable footballer and an ever present in the side. It might be worth enjoying and appreciating what the Croat does, because he could be a massive loss when the 2018/19 season comes around.