Slovenian star set for Florence and not the Premier League.
Fiorentina are set to seal the signing of Palermo playmaker Josip Ilicic, amid speculation that Liverpool had tabled a bid for the talented playmaker.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Rosanero president Maurizio Zamparini has accepted the latest offer from Vincenzo Montella’s side which is believed to be around €9m, which is €3m less than the reported offer made by Liverpool.
Nevertheless, the Slovenian international is expected to undergo a medical in the coming days before being officially announced as a Fiorentina player and joining his new team-mates on their pre-season retreat.
Following their relegation to Serie B, it had been expected that Palermo would be unable to hang on to some of their most prized assets.
New coach Gennaro Gattuso will have a tough job in his first season in charge of the Sicilian club, and will undoubtedly miss the creativity produced by the 25-year-old with the statistics suggesting that they failed to win a single Serie A game without him last season.
Josip Ilicic: Palermo won 0% of their Serie A games in which Josip Ilicic didn’t start last season
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 23, 2013
In contrast, Ilicic now joins what is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting projects in Europe, with the city of Florence expecting a successful season ahead with the additions the club has made this summer.
Despite the departure of Stevan Jovetic, the Viola have signed Mario Gomez and Joaquin to replace his attacking threat, with Ilicic now set to be added to a midfield burgeoning with technical ability, with the likes of Borja Valero and David Pizzaro hopeful of leading the club to a minimum of a top-three finish in the new campaign
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