Moretto: Leao ‘closing the door’ on move within Serie A despite Fiorentina link

The suggestions that Fiorentina could be a shock destination for Rafael Leao have been refuted by Matteo Moretto.

Moretto spoke in a video published on Fabrizio Romano’s YouTube channel last night and provided a clarification regarding a report that emerged claiming Fiorentina are exploring an audacious move for Leao.

“We’re not aware of that [Leao to Fiorentina]. I can tell you that Leao has received some approaches from an Italian team, but at this time Leao is closing the door on a possible move to an Italian club,” he said (via MilanVibes).

“I’ll also tell you that, financially, as we’ve been reiterating for several days, it’s a difficult move for Italian teams at this time. So, to date, neither Fiorentina nor any other team they might have approached has made any inquiries.”

Moretto’s message is therefore rather clear: there is no evidence to suggest Leao will move to Fiorentina, nor are there any other Italian options that could take shape at the moment. As a reminder, he earns €7m net per season including bonuses, which is another obstacle.

Leao’s future remains a rather large conundrum that the management must try and solve, given the U-turn in his previous stance of wanting to leave. There has even been talk that the asking price has now dropped below €50m to try facilitate his departure.