Bournemouth have agreed a deal worth £12m with Fiorentina for midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli.
Gaetano Castrovilli, 26, joined Fiorentina from Bari in 2017, before being farmed out on a two-year loan to Cremonese in Serie B. Since returning to Fiorentina at the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the Italy international has gone on to amass 125 appearances across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and registering eight assists along the way.
Castrovilli is reportedly expected to fly to England on Friday to complete his medical and sign the contract with Bournemouth. Should the deal cross the line, the Italian midfielder will become the Cherries’ sixth signing of the summer transfer window. The south coast club have already spent over £50m on Milos Kerkez, Romain Faivre, Justin Kluivert and Hamed Junior Traore while signing Ionut Radu on loan from Inter Milan.
Gaetano Castrovilli would be a coup for Bournemouth
Bournemouth lost several key players of the last few seasons earlier this year, but the exit of Jefferson Lerma has left a huge void in the middle of the park. The Cherries’ new manager Andoni Iraola has previously stated that he would like to see more than one midfielder arrive at the club this summer and, after the signing of Romain Faivre from Lyon it looks like Gaetano Castrovilli is the next midfielder to complete his move to the Vitality Stadium.
Castrovilli is a technically solid midfielder with a European pedigree, and he would instantly elevate the quality of Bournemouth’s midfield unit. A central midfielder by trade, the four-cap Italy international is versatile enough to operate as a No.10 or out wide, which is likely to appeal to Andoni Iraola. He is creative and has the ability to score goals, which would make him a great fit in Iraola’s system at Bournemouth.
Standing at 6ft 2ins tall, Castrovilli, however, isn’t among the most physically dominant midfielders. A lack of physicality could see him struggle to cope with the demands of Premier League football. Moreover, there are question marks over his fitness, having spent a significant chunk of last season on the sidelines after undergoing knee surgery.
With that being said, if the Italian midfielder can keep himself free from injuries and acclimatise quickly to the new surroundings, he would prove to be a real coup of sorts for the Cherries. At 26, Castrovilli is about to enter the best years of his career and could go a long way in helping Bournemouth maintain their top-flight status next term.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
