Milan, Roma, and Fiorentina Battled on Deadline Day | OneFootball

Milan, Roma, and Fiorentina were all looking for a midfielder on deadline day and they all accomplished their goal by signing Warren Bondo, Lucas Gourna-Douath, and Nicolò Fagioli respectively. However, their searches intertwined. The result could have easily been different.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Viola made a good offer for the youngster, but Monza rebuffed them because they wanted more. Adriano Galliani changed his mind a few hours later, sending him to his former team instead for €10M plus €2M add-ons.

The Gigliati struck a deal with Juventus, but they had to sweat it out. Olympique Marseille were very determined and were leading the race. Roberto De Zerbi had talked with him back in November. However, the player started having doubts about going abroad and stopped answering phone calls and texts from France. The Ligue 1 side reached out to Massimiliano Allegri to get ahold of him. His former coach interceded and suggested he tell them the truth. The negotiation lasted a few more hours as the Bianconeri weren’t too keen on selling but eventually caved given his scarce playing time.

While Fiorentina focused on Fagioli after being repelled for Bondo, Milan tested the waters for Gourna-Douath before shaking hands with Monza, but he had already given Roma his word at that point, Corriere dello Sport informs.

An English team ran interference, but the Giallorossi managed to seal the deal. He transferred on a six-month loan with a €18M option to buy. He’ll serve chiefly as Manu Koné’s deputy. He has 90 appearances with RB Salzburg, 19 of which in the European cups, and 2 with France U-21 under his belt.