According to Sport Mediaset, Fiorentina have accepted an offer of €7m (£5m) from Bologna to sign Slovenian international Josip Iličić.
The Rossoblu have been linked with a number of players after securing promotion to Serie A earlier this month, with Giampaolo Pazzini, Fabio Borini, Graziano Pelle and Kingsley Coman on the list of potential options.
27-year-old Slovenian international Iličić has spent the past two seasons at the Viola, following a three-year spell at Palermo. However, he has struggled for regular playing time and he made just 17 starts in Serie A last season.
Catching attention
Whilst playing for Maribor in July 2010, Iličić scored in the return leg of the UEFA Europa League playoff round against Sicilian side Palermo, which ended in a 3–2 win for the Slovenian side. On the very next day, it was confirmed that Palermo had acquired Iličić and teammate Armin Bačinović from Maribor for a permanent move.
The transfer fee paid by Palermo was undisclosed, but it is believed to be around €2.3 million. After 3 years and over 100 appearances in Sicily, he moved to Florence to join Fiorentina in July 2013 for an undisclosed fee which is believed to be in the sum of €9 million plus add-ons. He rejected moves to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen as he wanted to continue his development in Serie A.
Good move all round
That development has slowed down due to a lack of opportunities; a move to Bologna would be the ideal transfer for both player and club alike.
A move for Iličić could benefit Fiorentina too, as it could possibly open the door for top target and Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah who kept Iličić out of the team whilst on loan there last season.
If Bologna are to survive back in Serie A they need to be targeting players of proven Serie A quality and picking up Iličić would be the ideal start.