Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has confirmed that Juan Cuadrado will join Chelsea imminently, with Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah set to move to Florence.
The Blues had finally landed a deal for the Colombian on Thursday, agreeing to pay €33 million for the attacker, just shy of his buyout clause.
And Montella, who was alleged to be ready to walk out on the Viola
should they sell Cuadrado, has now revealed that the 26-year-old will
move to Stamford Bridge - but is excited by the potential of his
replacement, Salah.
"Obviously as a coach I'm sorry for
Cuadrado's transfer but Fiorentina have done the right thing. If Juan
has cost so much it is because he's worth it, meanwhile Salah comes to
us," the Fiorentina boss told reporters.
"We'll see how long it
will take for Salah to be integrated. Technically he's similar to
Cuadrado but he cannot do the defensive side, though he is still a great
player."
Salah is expected to join Fiorentina on an 18-month loan deal while another attacker, Andre Schurrle, is closing in on a move back to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.
Cuadrado
is thought to have already said his goodbyes to his Fiorentina
team-mates and agreed personal terms with the Blues, but his signing
will come too late to play any part in Chelsea's top-of-the-table clash
against Manchester City on Saturday.
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