Crotone of Italy striker, Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo (Simy) is reportedly thinking more about the possibility of joining Italian Serie A side, Fiorentina, rather than accept an offer from Brighton & Hove Albion of England, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although moving to Brighton would see him become the next Nigerian to star for the team that once had Leon Aderemi Balogun in their main team as well as Ini Omotong in their female squad, ‘Simy’ appears inclined towards staying put in The Land Of The Azzurri.
That has opened up a strong line of reasoning that he would snub The Seagulls’’ offer and opt for The Viola, who also have a history with Nigerian players, especially years back when former Super Eagles’ midfielder, Christian Ndubuisi Obodo (Bundle of Skills) lined out in their purple colours.
The clincher now is that Fiorentina are working on a deal to sign Simy, who emerged in the past season as Crotone’s all-time top scorer and is bound to get the transfer breakthrough based on a strong relationship between both clubs.
The report noted that Fiorentina have an excellent relationship with Crotone and are willing to meet The Sharks’ 10 million euro valuation for Simy, who has previously expressed a strong desire for playing in the English Premier League.
However, the former Gil Vicente of Portugal giant, who has a contract running with Crotone until June 2022, will not reject a transfer to a top team in the Italian top-flight, especially with The Viola said to be keen on seeing him step into the shoes of a reputable goals scorer that is set to leave the team this summer.
Italian transfer market analyst, Alfredo Pedulla added: “Fiorentina are in the market for a striker and have identified the Nigeria national teamer as an alternative to Dusan Vlahovic, who is being linked with a possible move to Liverpool in the summer.
“The 29-year-old has been linked with numerous clubs, including Sampdoria, Salernitana, Lazio and Torino, after an outstanding season that saw him net 20 goals in 38 matches, forty four percent of the overall goals netted by Crotone in the Serie A.”
