Chelsea right-back Davide Zappacosta is now closer to Fiorentina than Atalanta, it’s reported, which could be good news for Pol Lirola to Olympique Marseille.
The concern for Zappacosta is that both these Serie A clubs are waiting to see how other situations develop before they commit to bringing him back to Italy.
According to Sportitalia transfer expert Alfredo Pedullà, Atalanta are waiting for more tests results on Hans Hateboer’s injury to see how long he will be out of action for.
This delay has allowed Fiorentina to leapfrog them as favourites to pick up 29-year-old Zappacosta.
At the same time, the Viola can only realistically go for the Chelsea man if they sell Pol Lirola to Olympique Marseille.
Those negotiations have dragged on for months and the €12m fee is decided, but not the payment schedule, which is causing the problem.
Lirola was already at Marseille last season and made it clear from the start he wanted to make the move permanent, but the clubs have not been able to agree on terms.
If Fiorentina are indeed pushing for Zappacosta, it could mean there’s a breakthrough for Lirola to Marseille.
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) August 16, 2021