Fiorentina are reportedly set to beat Arsenal, Everton and Leeds United in the race to sign Austrian midfielder Florian Grillitsch on a Bosman move this summer.
According to the print edition of Austrian newspaper Die Presse Am Sonntag, as cited by MOT Leeds News, Fiorentina are reportedly the frontrunners in the race to sign Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch on a Bosman move this summer.
The Austrian international is set to be a free agent at the end of the month after rejecting a new contract offer from the German outfit. He is drawing interest from a host of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Everton, and Leeds United, who are tempted by his availability on a free transfer.
However, the Premier League trio are on the verge of missing out on the services of the Austrian international, who is set to sign for Serie A outfit Fiorentina and has verbally agreed to a four-year deal worth £32,000 per week until 2026 in Florence.
The 26-year-old joined Hoffenheim in the summer of 2017 from Werder Bremen on a free transfer and has caught the eye of many admirers in the German top-flight in recent years thanks to his consistent performances and stellar statistics. Yet Grillitsch has somehow slipped under the radar of top clubs.
He has made 130 league appearances in over five seasons at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, underlining his importance to the club. Being a more defensive-minded player, his impact in the final third is limited, with only three goals and 11 assists during that time.
The versatile midfielder has been an ever-present figure in Hoffenheim’s midfield unit in past seasons. But he often filled in at centre-back in the 2021/22 campaign, featuring in only 18 games for Die Kraichgauer as he missed a majority of the season due to a muscle injury. His displays in Germany’s top flight plus his free-agent status have piqued the curiosity of clubs all around Europe, notably from the Premier League.
Leeds United, for one, have been heavily linked to him in the last week or so. They have been keeping a close watch on the 26-year-old midfield enforcer as a potential replacement for Kalvin Phillips, in case the English playmaker does leave Elland Road for a big-money move elsewhere.
Grillitsch was apparently on Arsenal’s radar at the start of the year and links have persisted since then. The Gunners are likely to pursue a new defensive midfielder to partner alongside Thomas Partey, who has injury issues himself, as manager Mikel Arteta rebuilds the midfield this upcoming transfer window with Granit Xhaka likely to be on his way out this window.
Brighton’s Yves Bissouma and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans have been namechecked as possible targets, but Grillitsch would have been a far cheaper alternative, allowing the Gunners to spend heavily in the forward department instead.
Under the scanner by Financial Fair Play, Everton manager Frank Lampard will most likely be operating on a shoestring budget during this window. They are closing on a deal for a soon-to-be free agent centre-back in James Tarkowski and Grillitsch would have been a smart acquisition in a similar mould. But with the Hoffenheim star favouring a move to Italy, the Premier League trio will have to realign their radar to other avenues.
True that he’s largely unknown, so the Everton fans who want someone like Gallagher or Zinchenko, would not be happy with him unless he proved himself straightaway…