Fiorentina probably won’t sign Marković this year

For the past week, we’ve been hearing whispers from England and Italy both that Fiorentina were closing in on Liverpool misfit Lazar Marković. On the one hand, it’d make perfect sense: he’s a 23-year-old winger with bags of technique and Cristian Tello-level pace, Reds boss Jürgen Klopp clearly doesn’t plan to use him and wants to sell him on the cheap, and he’s a Fali Ramadani client who got his start at Partizan Belgrade. You’d think that he’s the perfect Corvino signing, and you’d be right if it weren’t 2017.

The only problem is that he’s Serbian, and Serbia isn’t part of the European Union. As you may recall, the FIGC placed limitations on the number of non-EU players Serie A teams can bring aboard per window, and Fiorentina have already added two: centerbacks Vitor Hugo of Brazil and Nikola Milenković of Serbia. So that’s it for players from outside the EU this window.

What wouldn’t shock me, though, is a delayed move. If Liverpool is unable to unload their outcast winger this summer, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he’d sign on for the Viola in January on loan, with an option to buy the following year. However, he’s got the talent to earn a job elsewhere without having to wait on any interest from Florence, so we can probably go ahead and shut the door on this one for now.