With less than a day to escape his Juventus ordeal, the fate of Nicolo Fagioli remains in the air as two clubs continue to pursue him.
After spending the bulk of the previous campaign on the sidelines due to an eight-month ban due to illegal betting, the 23-year-old had so much hope for the current season, and many believed Thiago Motta’s progressive style of play would suit him to perfection.
The Italian started the campaign on a positive note, playing as a regular starter on several occasions. However, he simply faded from the lineup in recent months, suddenly finding himself on the very bottom of the totem pole. At the moment, Teun Koopmeiners, Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz are all ahead of him in the pecking order.
So due to his very limited playing time, Fagioli has been widely expected to leave Turin in the winter transfer session and find himself a new club that is willing to grant him the prominent role he’s seeking.
However, with circa 12 hours separating us from the deadline, the Italy international is now facing a race against time. As reported last night, Fagioli has two suitors in the shape of Olympique Marseille and Fiorentina.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport via TuttoJuve, OM and the Viola are still neck-and-neck in the race.
The Ligue 1 side is willing to satisfy Juve’s asking price of 20 million euros. However, the French are only offering a loan with an option to buy, while the Serie A giants insist on including an obligation-to-buy clause.
On the contrary, Fiorentina are reportedly set to launch a new onslaught, one that includes an obligatory purchase, but it remains to be seen if they’re willing to offer the figures requested by Juventus.
This saga will likely be settled at the eleventh hour.
