Fiorentina Boss Stefano Pioli All But Confirms Star Man Matías Vecino's Switch to Inter
Fiorentina boss Stefano Pioli has all but confirmed the rumoured transfer of the club's star man midfielder Matías Vecino to Inter, with the Serie A giants believed to be prepared to trigger the player's €24m release clause.
Pioli has also championed the player, claiming that he is on a par with Paris Saint-Germain's talismanic midfielder Blaise Matuidi. In an interview with Italian publication Gazette dello Sport (via Football Italia), the Fiorentina manager was quizzed on a number of topics ahead of the 2017/18 Serie A campaign.
When asked to comment on Inter rather muted approach to the summer transfer window, Pioli claimed: "Inter’s lack of transfer activity? They already had a strong team. Vecino, for example, is a great signing. He’s worth the same as Matuidi and he’s a complete midfielder."
The popular belief that Vecino was bound for Inter appears to have been prematurely confirmed by Pioli, with the player set to undertake a medical with the San Siro side on Monday before putting pen to paper on a lucrative four-year deal. The Uruguayan international was a solitary bright spark for Fiorentina last season, who laboured to an lacklustre eighth-placed finish.
The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the finest central midfielders in Serie A, after signing from Uruguayan side Nacional 2013. Vecino is somewhat of a midfield enforcer, capable of protecting the back-line with a dogged approach to tackling. The player also boasts excellent passing abilities, and has a natural eye for picking the right ball to unlock opposition defences.
Inter are yet to get the ball rolling in the summer transfer window, as their fans have watched in horror as their fierce rivals AC Milan have spent with ferocity this summer.
Inter's biggest signing so far has been 22-year-old Milan Skriniar, who joined the club for £19.5m from Sampdoria. Signing Vecino would certainly be a further positive step in Inter's summer dealings.
