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Fiorentina deny Chelsea to snap up Cuadrado

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella has played down reports that winger Juan Cuadrado could soon leave the club for Chelsea amid reports the Premier League side are preparing a bid for the Colombian international.

Published: 22 January 2015 08:48 CET
Fiorentina deny Chelsea to snap up Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado is a reported summer transfer target for Manchester United and Barcelona. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

Reports claim Chelsea are set to offer €27 million for Cuadrado, although Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Fiorentina club president Andrea Della Valle would not sell for less than the value of his buy-out clause, €35 million.

But Montella, speaking after his side's 3-1 win over Atalanta in the last 16 of the Italian Cup, said: "As far as I know there is no possibility for him to leave Fiorentina.

"He isn't really concerned by all this talk. Sometimes these situations are taken all out of proportion."

Cuadrado, a reported summer transfer target for Manchester United and Barcelona, has eclipsed his shaky start to the season with a string of solid performances to help the Serie A side up to sixth place.

Fiorentina are 16 points behind leaders and champions Juventus but are firmly in contention for the third and last Champions League qualifying spot at three points behind Napoli.

Cuadrado, who moved to Fiorentina from Udinese in the summer of 2012, has scored five goals this season including four in Serie A.

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FOOTBALL

PICTURES: Thousands in Florence for Davide Astori’s funeral

Thousands of mourners and the cream of Italian football gave an emotional sendoff on Thursday to Fiorentina player Davide Astori, whose sudden death at the age of 31 has shocked the country.

Published: 8 March 2018 14:23 CET
PICTURES: Thousands in Florence for Davide Astori's funeral
Mourners in Florence for Davide Astori's funeral. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and his Juventus teammate Giorgio Chiellini were among those who paid their respects in Florence to the defender who captained his club and played 14 times for his country.

One banner in the crowd read “Ciao captain”, another “Our captain forever”, and purple smoke from flares to match the colour of Fiorentina's shirts filled the sky.

Applause rang out as Astori's coffin was carried into the Santa Croce basilica as children wearing Fiorentina tracksuits formed a guard of honour.

Milan Badelj, Astori's deputy captain at the club, paid tribute to the player in a homily.

“You were the son and the brother that everyone would like to have,” the Croatian said. “Your parents didn't put a foot wrong with you, Davide.”

He said everyone who remembered Astori would tell his two-year daughter Vittoria that he had been a man with a capital 'M'.

Buffon and Chiellini dashed back from London where the Turin team dedicated their Champions League victory over Tottenham on Wednesday to Astori.

Chiellini said after the match: “He is on our minds on this day. I cried many times. He was a fantastic player.”

Daniele De Rossi, Mario Balotelli and Francesco Totti were among Italy players past and present who came to pay their respects and the entire Fiorentina team, dressed in sober dark suits and ties, attended.

Astori was found dead in a hotel room in Udine on Sunday ahead of Fiorentina's Serie A match against Udinese. All matches were postponed in the wake of the discovery.

A post-mortem examination has found he most likely died from a cardiac arrest linked to the slowing of his heart rate.

He will be buried near his home city of Bergamo in northern Italy.

Fiorentina and Astori's former club Cagliari have said they will retire his number 13 shirt in his honour.

There are likely to be more emotional scenes when Fiorentina play their first game since the tragedy when they face Benevento at home on Sunday.

All photos by Filippo Monteforte for AFP.

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