Fiorentina Transfer Market: To Pull the Team Out of the Abyss, Paratici Sets His Sights on the Man Who Caused Chaos at the World Cup

Fiorentina Transfer News: One of the Most Controversial Players of the 2026 World Cup to Help the Team Climb Out of the Abyss. This is one of the ideas Fabio Paratici is reportedly considering in the wake of the Viola’s humiliating 0-3 home loss to Frosinone, which coincided with the club’s centennial. In addition to on-field issues, however, there are also transfer market problems to resolve. Starting with a replacement for the departing Moise Kean—who might not be Joshua Zirkzee. And if he isn’t, among the names emerging, Folarin Balogun stands out.

A forward for the U.S. national team, Balogun has shown great promise at Monaco but became infamous—through no fault of his own—at the 2026 World Cup due to a suspension that was later revoked by FIFA following Donald Trump’s harsh public statements. It was precisely the intervention of the federation’s Disciplinary Committee, led by Gianni Infantino, that allowed him to take the field (and deliver an inconspicuous performance) against Belgium. Now he is on Paratici’s radar as the club’s sporting director seeks Fiorentina’s next center forward. From this perspective, preliminary talks have reportedly already begun with Monaco’s management, in addition to several phone conversations with the player’s agent.

It’s worth recalling in detail the incident that made Balogun such a divisive figure on the international stage. The forward had been sent off by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, after consulting the VAR, during the round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, for a hard tackle on Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic. The resulting automatic suspension would have prevented him from playing in the quarterfinal against Belgium, but the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend it conditionally by applying Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code—an unprecedented move in World Cup history. According to many observers, the decision came about following a phone call from Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino himself, opening a veritable Pandora’s box: both England and France attempted to secure similar treatment for their own suspended players, without success, fueling further controversy over the unequal treatment of different national associations.

As for Zirkzee, the situation remains in flux. Fiorentina had structured the negotiations with Manchester United around a loan deal worth approximately 5 million euros with an option to buy, while the Red Devils were pushing for a permanent transfer or, at the very least, a conditional buyout clause. The total deal is estimated to be around 30 million euros. With the transfer window now closing imminently, the window of opportunity to reach an agreement is narrowing, and it cannot be ruled out that the potential collapse of the deal for the Dutch former Bologna player has prompted Paratici to accelerate his search for alternative options, including Balogun.

Meanwhile, the home loss to Frosinone has made the need to act even more urgent. In front of a stunned crowd at the Franchi Stadium—where the centennial celebration turned into an evening to forget—the Viola collapsed under the pressure of Raimondo, who scored twice, and Bracaglia, leaving them with zero points after two Serie A matchdays. Coach Fabio Grosso, who had already made significant changes from the season opener in Rome, found himself with a team unable to capitalize on the chances created in the first half—including shots off the post by Mastantuono and Valdepenas—and then overwhelmed at the worst possible moment. This situation in the standings means that the transfer market is no longer a matter of ambition, but of necessity.