Reported Tottenham target Nikola Milenkovic has committed his future to Fiorentina by signing a contract extension until 2023.
The Serbia international had been widely linked to Spurs, Wolves and West Ham, with just a year left on his previous deal.
However, with Cristian Romero arriving to bolster Nuno Espirito Santo's squad and the other two Premier League clubs wary of finances, talks broke down and Milenkovic has signed a one-year extension.
Head coach Vincenzo Italiano will be delighted to have secured the defender's services for another term, given it seems fellow centre-back German Pezzella is on the brink of moving to Real Betis.
Milenkovic joined from Partizan in 2017 and has racked up 133 appearances across all competition for Fiorentina, scoring 11 goals during his four-year spell in Italy.
The 23-year-old has played the most minutes of any Viola player since his debut in December 2017 – his 11,696 way ahead of second-place Pezzella's 10,381.
In the same time period, no Fiorentina player has made more headed clearances (276), successful tackles (131) or won more duels (651) than Milenkovic, who ranks only 33 behind Pezzella in first place for interceptions with 190.
By comparison, among Serie A defenders, only Federico Fazio (377) and Berat Djimsiti (353) have succeeded in more aerial battles than Milenkovic (349) since his arrival in Italy.
Fiorentina have managed to tie down their star defensive asset and their chairman Rocco Commisso also outlined his desire to keep Spurs, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid target Dusan Vlahovic for at least one more season.
"I didn't put Vlahovic up for sale, on the contrary, we made him an important renewal proposal," Commisso told TGR Rai Toscana on Thursday.
"There are teams interested in him but I have not set prices. I want him to stay one more year.
"For the player – we remember – in the last hours the strong interest of Manchester City has also arrived, willing to offer over 70 million euros for him. The pressing of Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, seems weaker after the contacts last week."
Italiano is expected to name Milenkovic and Vlahovic, who netted twice in a 4-0 Coppa Italia first-round win over Cosenza last Friday, in his starting line-up for their Serie A opener away at Roma on Sunday.
Emery: Chelsea are progressing under 'amazing' Potter
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has backed Graham Potter for long-term success at Chelsea and says there are already signs of progress at Stamford Bridge.
Potter succeeded Tuchel in the Chelsea dugout in early September, but his future was called into question following a run one win in 11 games to begin the year.
However, the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss has slowly turned things around, with Chelsea entering the international break on a run of three wins and a draw.
Villa boss Emery, who lasted 18 months at Arsenal before being sacked in November 2019, believes Potter fully deserves his chance to shine at a big club.
"He did amazing at Brighton and needs time to adapt his ideas at Chelsea," Emery said at Thursday's pre-match press conference. "Progressively, they're doing better and better.
"Tuchel's work was also amazing, but what Potter did with Brighton was really amazing and he deserved to take a step up with a team like Chelsea.
"They're now progressing. Everything he previously did with Brighton he can do as well with Chelsea. He just needs time.
"They have played well in the Champions League but have not been as consistent in the Premier League.
"But we know on Saturday we're playing one of the best teams in the Premier League. It's a good challenge for us and this is why I'm in the Premier League."
Villa have taken 10 points from their past 12 available, leaving them level on points with 10th-placed opponents Chelsea, and Emery is now targeting a top-half finish.
"When I arrived we were struggling at the bottom but the first reaction from the club, supporters, players, was amazing," Emery said. "Now we have escaped the bottom positions.
"Now we can think of our new challenge, which is to be in the top 10. This will start this Saturday. We think we have a good possibility to be there.
"The last four matches we played, scoring seven goals and conceding only one, winning three matches and drawing one, it was a very good moment for us."
Liverpool handed double injury boost ahead of Man City clash
Liverpool have been handed a fitness boost ahead of their crunch Premier League clash against Manchester City with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez returning to training.
Jurgen Klopp's side make the short trip to Manchester to tackle the defending champions on Saturday when league action resumes following the international break.
The Reds have their eyes firmly set on the hunt for a top-four finish, sitting seven points behind Tottenham but holding two games in hand over their managerless rivals.
City will certainly present a stern test but the return of Diaz, who has been out of action since suffering a knee injury during the loss to Arsenal in October, provides a timely boost.
Whether the Colombia international will be fit enough to tackle City remains to be seen, though Nunez's involvement adds a further boost to the squad.
Withdrawing from international duty with Uruguay after suffering an ankle injury during the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid earlier this month, Nunez's involvement suggests his return is also right around the corner.
UEFA orders Eintracht Frankfurt and PSV into partial stadium closures
UEFA has hit Eintracht Frankfurt and PSV with partial stadium closures after unsavoury scenes overshadowed European ties involving both clubs in February.
Both legs of Eintracht's 5-0 aggregate defeat to Napoli in the Champions League's last-16 were marred by violence, with clashes between supporters witnessed before the Partenopei's 2-0 away win on February 21.
Eintracht were subsequently charged with the lighting of fireworks and blocking of public passageways by UEFA, and the governing body has now fined the Bundesliga club a total of €70,000 and ordered them to close areas of Deutsche Bank Park for their next continental fixture.
The fear of further violence led Italian authorities to attempt to ban Eintracht supporters from travelling to Naples for the return fixture on March 15.
However, supporters clashed with local police after defying that measure, with footage on social media showing crowds throwing missiles at officers wielding riot shields.
Meanwhile, PSV have also been ordered to close sections of the Philips Stadion for their next UEFA game after a fan attacked Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic during a Europa League match.
PSV suffered a 3-2 aggregate defeat in the competition's knockout round play-offs, with the tie overshadowed by a supporter entering the pitch and throwing a punch at Dmitrovic in February's second leg in Eindhoven.
The 20-year-old man was given a two-month prison stint on March 8, as well as being made subject to a 40-year ban from PSV's stadium.
PSV have been fined €29,375 after UEFA investigated the incident, with the club also being charged with the throwing of objects at the same match.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
