Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic is unhappy at the club’s reluctance to sell him to Juventus and is set to hold talks with the club in order to get a deal done.
Fiorentina have repeatedly insisted that they would only sell the Montenegro international for a fee of €30 million, a figure that Juventus seems reluctant to pay. So Jovetic is reportedly trying to take matters in his own hands to try and force through a move to the Serie A champions.
Juventus had previously submitted a bid of €13 million plus Alessandro Matri and Michele Pazienza for Jovetic, and offer that was rejected unceremoniously by La Viola.
“Jovetic will stay with us next season and the new team will be built around him to entertain the public,” communications manager Gianfranco Teotino said. “In the city there is great enthusiasm, as seen from the presentation of the new shirt and the positive number of season ticket sales.
“Montella has great enthusiasm and some innovative training methods. There is great confidence in our future and we want Stevan to be a part of our project and it is down to us to convince him to play at least one more year with us.”
Fiorentina sports director Daniele Prade later indicated that an offer of €30 million however would secure Jovetic’s services.
“I spoke with the owners and they told me that the player is not on the market,” Prade told Sky Sports Italia.
“But there is a gentlemen’s agreement and if someone makes an offer for him close to €30million (£23.5m), without some players in exchange, we can sit at a table and discuss. But we want to keep Jovetic.”
Asked if Jovetic is tempted to leave the club, Teotino added:
“There have always been temptations because he is a great champion and it is normal that he wants to play on the big stage. We want to bring Champions League football back to La Viola with him, but also for his career he would certainly do well to stay another year with us.”
Juventus general director Beppe Marotta has confirmed the club’s interest in Jovetic saying:
“We like Jovetic. But he’s a Fiorentina player and they have the right to keep him.
“But he is the profile of player we are looking for. He’s an interesting young player with real value and technical qualities that would be good for us. But I can’t say more.
“We know where we are and what we must do. It’s impossible thinking about negotiating with players who cannot be transferred.”
So we have a player that wants to move to Juve and a club that are interested in him. The big question for Juventus is whether they can afford €30 million for Jovetic and still stay competitive in the race for Arsenal’s Robin van Persie?
