Premier League duo Leicester City and Newcastle United have reservations about meeting Fiorentina’s £35 million Nicolas Gonzalez asking price with the Argentina international’s injury issues a cause for concern, according to Marca.
Since moving to Serie A from Stuttgart during the summer of 2021 – Fiorentina fighting off competition from Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton – Gonzalez has missed no fewer than 19 games due to a variety of fitness issues.
His tally of league starts during the current campaign, meanwhile, stands at a measly two.
40 million euros, then, is a lot of money to spend on a player who just cannot seem to stay fit over an extended period of time. Gonzalez also also endured a stop-start two-year stint in the Bundesliga.
Newcastle and Leicester have one big worry about £35m Nicolas Gonzalez
According to Marca, a history of injuries has not gone unnoticed at the King Power or St James’ either.
Both Leicester and Newcastle, the report adds, have submitted bids in the region of £26 million for the 24-year-old Gonzalez. There are serious reservations about meeting Fiorentina’s lofty £35 million asking price, however; Gonzalez perhaps lacking the physicality or the robustness to survive in one of Europe’s most physical and fast-paced competitions.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Newcastle held talks with Gonzalez’s representatives over a video call earlier this month. Leicester, meanwhile, have been looking for a right-winger with elite-level potential since Riyad Mahrez forced through that £60 million move to Manchester City all the way back in 2018.
Gonzalez loves to cut in onto his left-foot like the former Foxes talisman. What’s more, he is a genuine match-winning talent when fit and firing. In his debut season at Fiorentina, Gonzalez scored eight goals and produced a further nine assists.
‘I think he stays’
But, 12 months after selling Dusan Vlahovic to arch rivals Juventus, Fiorentina have made it clear that none of their key players will be placed on the transfer list between now and February 1st.
“I can confirm both players (Gonzalez and the Liverpool-linked Sofyan Amrabat) are not for sale. End of story. I am confirming it tonight; Amrabat and Gonzalez are not for sale,” Fiorentina director Joe Barone tells DAZN.
“Gonzalez is recovering (from injury). He’s training well, scored in the last match. We are happy with his progress, and are happy with the whole team.”
“Nico Gonzalez; Does he stay? I think yes,” adds La Viola president Rocco Commisso. “The offers? It means that our players are worth it, but we must see what we (decide to) do.”
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