Fiorentina transfer chief addresses claims of imminent Leicester City deal

Fiorentina’s transfer chief has addressed claims that the Italian club are set to sign Leicester City’s Dennis Praet.

The 28-year-old Foxes midfielder was last week reported to be leaving the King Power Stadium “soon” for the Serie A side, whom, it was claimed, have been working on a deal.

Praet has also been linked with interest from Torino, with whom he spent last season on loan, making 24 appearances despite missing the best part of three months with a serious foot injury. According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano last month, negotiations between Leicester and Fiorentina will reach “key stages soon” after reports that talks between Torino broke down over differences in how the clubs wanted the deal to proceed. It was said in Italy that Torino’s offer did not match the valuation Leicester set for the Belgian central midfielder.

Romano tweeted: “Dennis Praet will leave Leicester soon. Fiorentina want to sign him on permanent deal or loan with obligation to buy clause, negotiations will enter into key stages soon. Fiorentina are also on the verge of signing Luka Jović on loan from Real Madrid.”

However, when asked about the reported interest in the Leicester player and another player linked to the club, Barcelona’s 22-year-old Riqui Puig, Fiorentina director Daniele Pradè told tuttomercatoweb.com: “Praet and Puig do not interest us, we have never treated them. Dennis (Praet) I know him well and his representative has always been my friend, we spoke in April but he is not the player we would go looking for.”