Fiorentina want to sign Jacopo Sala of Verona – who was also linked with Liverpool earlier this year.
Former Chelsea prospect Jacopo Sala is one of Italy’s most in demand players.
Tuttomercatoweb report there is a race for the signature of the Hellas Verona star, who has only one year remaining on his contract.
The 23-year-old was part of Chelsea’s academy but left in 2011 to join former sporting director Frank Arnesen at Hamburg, before signing for Verona in 2013.
He was recently linked by Italian outlet Sportmediaset with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, while The Metro claimed in April he was a target for Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool.
The latest Tuttomercatoweb report claims Sala is wanted by Fiorentina, the latest team to join the race, with Genoa, Inter Milan and Roma all also credited with interest – with Verona side demanding a minimum of £3.6 million, but are confident a bidding race for his signature could push his price up.
Sala is a central midfielder and former Italian under-21 international. He made 16 appearances for Verona last season, scoring two goals and providing two assists.
Big things to come
Sala like many found the leap from Chelsea’s academy into the first team too steep and had to take a step back to potentially move forward.
The level of clubs interested in his signature alone indicates the progress he has made in Italy, and staying in Serie A may be his best bet.
Both Liverpool and Tottenham have crowded midfields, and Sala would need to be better established than he is to be confident of holding down a starting role.
At only 23, he has plenty more to offer in his career and in many ways is only just getting started. Another year at Verona could be good for his development and allow him to be the master of his own destiny and leave as a free agent next summer.
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