Report: Juventus agree to personal terms with Federico Chiesa

In a very predictable and oh-so-Italy kind of move, Fiorentina coming out and declaring that Federico Chiesa isn’t even going to be anything close to up for sale this summer has done nothing to actually quiet with linking him with Juventus.

At all.

According to Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus and the 21-year-old Chiesa have agreed to personal terms on a contract that would pay the winger €5 million net a season. All that is left for Juventus to do to make Chiesa a member of the eight-time defending Serie A champions’ roster is to negotiate with Fiorentina — something that is going to be far from easy regardless of who is going to be the owner of the club whenever their proposed sale goes through.

Chiesa, who is currently on international duty with Italy ahead of the Azzurri’s Euro 2020 qualifying match this weekend, commented on his future with Fiorentina during a press conference on Tuesday. And, surprising to nobody who roots for La Viola, the two sides haven’t exactly been in constant contact over the past few months even with Fiorentina issuing their Chiesa-related statement a few days earlier.

“The interest of certain clubs makes me happy. But right now I’m at Coverciano and available to Mancini. I’m focused on this while also following what is happening with Fiorentina and the negotiation between the Della Valle and Commisso.

“How do I handle these offers? I put my cell on airplane mode. So far I have yet to speak to anyone at the club. The announcement that was posted. I repeat, I didn’t talk to anyone at the club.”

(Source: Viola Nation, via gianlucadimarzio.com)

As the Viola Nation folks point out, Chiesa obviously doesn’t rule out staying at Fiorentina this summer, nor does he skirt around the issue when he’s asked about it. Basically, when the time comes to explore a summer move, Chiesa will actually do so. For right now, his focus is on the Italian national team — and that’s not going to be changing.

Neither will be the stories linking him to a move with Juventus in the Italian press. Earlier Tuesday, La Gazzetta dello Sport’s cover story involved Chiesa being the big gift to Maurizio Sarri, the rumored successor to Max Allegri on the Juve bench. It was a little funny based on the fact that the ink on Fiorentina’s statement had barely dried up and there was a new wave of stories saying Chiesa will leave come through the Italian press.

But that is life in Italy, and not exactly one that is surprising to any of us who follow the rumor cycle year after year.