Fiorentina's failed double coup on deadline day
Suso and Matteo Politano were among a host of players Fiorentina attempted to sign on transfer deadline day, sporting director Daniele Prade has confirmed.
Fiorentina was one of the busiest clubs across Europe as the window closed on Monday, bringing in Bobby Duncan from Liverpool, Pedro from Fluminense, and Rachid Ghezzal on a loan deal from Leicester City.
But there were a series of further deals the Viola was unable to get done, according to Prade, with AC Milan playmaker Suso and Inter winger Politano mentioned by name.
Domenico Berardi and Rodrigo De Paul were also targets but neither Sassuolo nor Udinese wanted to sell, while Prade claimed Fiorentina walked away from a deal for Sporting's Raphinha due to the cost of the proposed transfer.
"I'm not disappointed by any of our negotiations," he told a news conference on Tuesday. "We tried until 8pm last night, but the clubs didn't want to sell, so I'm sure I can't do more.
"Sassuolo wouldn't sell Berardi, and it was the same with Udinese and De Paul, Inter and Politano, and Milan and Suso. But we tried.
"[Raphinha] is the only one we let go because the costs were too high for us."
On De Paul, he added: "I have an excellent relationship with [Udinese owner Giampaolo] Pozzo and we didn't want to force it. I never talked to De Paul, because we never found the agreement with Udinese. Other claims are false."
Meanwhile, Prade stated there was never a realistic chance for Fiorentina to sign midfielders Daniele De Rossi or Radja Nainggolan.
De Rossi went to Boca Juniors after leaving Roma, his only previous club, and Nainggolan left Inter for former employers Cagliari on loan, although the Viola did add experience in the form of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Franck Ribery.
"With Nainggolan, we never got to talk to him," Prade said. "It is right that he went to Cagliari.
"As for Daniele, I knew from the beginning that he would never have played in Italy with another team. He made the best choice for his life."
