Fiorentina can’t actually be in for Sidy Sarr, right?

If there is one area of the pitch in which Fiorentina do not require reinforcement, that area is central midfield. Jordan Veretout, Marco Benassi, Bryan Dabo, Christian Nørgaard, Edimilson Fernandes, Gerson, and Sebastian Cristoforo comprise a hardworking, gritty engine room that’s already overcrowded, especially since they’re all locked in for the upcoming year. So when we hear that the Viola are considering a bid for Sidy Sarr, a 22-year-old who plays (you guessed it) in central midfield, allow us a bit of skepticism.

Even though Sarr looks like the type of player Fiorentina have been targeting of late—very tall, very strong, and laboratory-designed to physically overpower opponents (e.g. Nikola Milenković, Dabo, Dušan Vlahović)—there simply wouldn’t be space for him, especially since he’s too old to drop in with the Primavera. Again, we like him as a player; who wouldn’t like a dude who’s 196 cm (6’5) tall, strong as a dang moose, lethal in the air, and clever defensively?

The already stocked Viola midfield isn’t the only stumbling block, though. He just joined current club LB Châteauroux of the French Ligue 2 this summer for an undisclosed fee after spending last season on loan there from Belgian second division outfit KV Kortrijk. He was spectacular last year, scoring 11 times in 31 appearances; as you might surmise from his size, he specialized in finishing set pieces. While Châteauroux would probably be happy to send him to Florence on loan for the year with a reasonably low purchasing clause, it wouldn’t make any sense for anyone.

Sarr needs to continue playing to get traction with the international setup—with 4 caps for the Senegal U23s, he’s surely made his presence known to the senior setup—and he wouldn’t do that in Florence. Fiorentina wouldn’t want a promising player to get stuck on the bench, doing nothing but drawing a check and showing up for training. And Châteauroux would surely rather keep the player around for a year or at least get a decent transfer fee for him up front.