Report: Genoa planning Ceccherini swoop

According to Gianluca di Marzio, Saturday’s famous victory over Napoli at the San Potato may be the final Fiorentina appearance for defender Federico Ceccherini, who’s in the sights of Genoa. Stuck at the bottom of the table and sporting Serie A’s worst defense—41 goals allowed in 20 games—the Grifoni desperately need some help at the back.

New boss Davide Nicola knows Ceccherini well from their time together at Crotone, and apparently thinks that the veteran is the perfect addition to the rearguard. Able to play in the middle or on the left of a 3-man defense, his versatility and surprising passing range would likely help in all areas of the pitch, both to prevent goals and spur quick breaks the other way.

The 27-year-old Livorno native is solidly behind Germán Pezzella, Nikola Milenković, and Martín Cáceres in the pecking order, so he could be willing to move in search of more playing time. However, given Cáceres’ injury history and the lack of other options on the roster—Luca Ranieri seems like a likely loan candidate too—don’t expect Cecche to move before at least one replacement (AS Roma’s Juan Jesus has consistently popped up as a potential replacement) arrives.

With just 3 starts and 4 appearances off the bench this season, it shouldn’t take too much to pry him away; we’d expect a figure around €4 million, possibly up front but more likely as a loan with a fee due in June. We’d be sorry to see him go, as he’s been a solid squad member for since his €3 million move in 2018. While he’s not a world-beater, he’s never had any pretensions as to who he is in Florence: a solid, reliable player who can do a job when one of the regular starters is unavailable. That’s a valuable role, and one we hope to see refilled very quickly if he leaves.