Fiorentina set to make €45m on star striker

 

Fiorentina are poised to sell Nikola Kalinic to Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Quanjian in a club record deal worth a mouthwateirng €45m (£38.6m), reports Sky Italia, via Football Italia.

 

Kalinic, 29, has enjoyed the finest football of his career since joining Fiorentina from Dnipro in 2015 and now appears to be the next player to trade European football for the riches of China.

 

Tianjin Quanjian, who are managed by legendary Italian Fabio Cannavaro, have already beaten Juventus to the signature of Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel this month and now intend to raid Italy for a new striker.

 

Kalinic has a €50m release clause in his current deal with the Viola but the Serie A outfit are likely to be in awe of the enormity of the bid from China and would be foolish not to cash in on a striker that turned 29 on Thursday.

 

Fiorentina set to make €45m on star striker

 

The deal would also mean Kalinic becomes the most expensive player Fiorentina have ever sold in their history, surpassing the £35.7m they received for Rui Costa from AC Milan in 2001.

 

Since the start of last season Kalinic has scored at least four more goals than any other Fiorentina player in Serie a (20).

 

For more stats on Nikola Kalinic, click here to visit his WhoScored player page