Negotiations between Barcelona and Fiorentina over a summer move for 22-year-old Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig have reportedly advanced.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Riqui Puig is inching closer to securing a move to Fiorentina in the summer transfer window. The Serie A giants are in advanced talks with Barcelona over a possible move, with Barcelona in favour of selling the 22-year-old midfielder in a permanent deal.
Riqui Puig has endured a dramatic fall from grace since showing signs of progress under Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien. Ronald Koeman never fancied the Spanish midfielder during his ill-fated 18-month stint with Barcelona, and Xavi Hernandez has also used the youngster sparingly in the last ten months.
The 22-year-old now finds himself at the bottom of the pecking order for midfielders at Camp Nou and garnered only 544 minutes of game-time across 18 appearances for Barcelona this past season. And with his career headed nowhere at the Catalan club, Puig needs to embark on a new adventure to find a stable footing. Fiorentina could offer him an escape route out of Barcelona.
Fiorentina recently initiated talks with Puig and Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window. And the Serie A giants have ramped up their efforts to secure the services of the 22-year-old midfielder, with SPORT claiming that negotiations between La Viola and Barcelona are at an advanced stage.
The report fails to mention the nature of the transfer but asserts that Barcelona will prefer to sell the Spaniard permanently in the summer transfer window. With Puig’s contract at Camp Nou officially running out in less than a year, Barcelona will either have to extend his deal or offload him permanently.
But with talks between Fiorentina and Barcelona advancing quickly, one can expect the two parties to iron out the small details efficiently. As for his utility, the 22-year-old will add to Vincenzo Italiano’s options in a season that will include midweek football after the Serie A club qualified for UEFA Europ`a Conference League for the 2022/23 campaign.
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However, Fiorentina will need to move quickly to secure the services of Puig, with the Barcelona midfielder also the subject of interest from Benfica, Valencia and Serie A rivals Lazio. For now, the 22-year-old seems to be closing in on joining Fiorentina this summer.