Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 7y

Fiorentina 'don't know' if Nikola Kalinic will leave for China in January window

Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle has hinted that Nikola Kalinic could still leave the Serie A club this winter to move to China, although it is not a foregone conclusion.

Kalinic, 29, is the latest player linked with a move to the Far East and Della Valle said it is a "delicate subject" when asked about the Croatian's future following the Viola's 2-1 win over Juventus on Sunday evening.

"I've heard about some figures doing the rounds, but I don't know anything about them," Della Valle told Sky Sport. "The problem is understanding what the lad wants to do, but don't make me say too much tonight -- I just want to enjoy this victory."

New regulations introduced by the Chinese Football Association at the weekend may slow down Chinese investment in new foreign players and this could result in Kalinic's proposed move breaking down, even if Fiorentina's sporting director Pantaleo Corvino told Mediaset that no official approach has actually been made for the forward.

"As you all know, there is this Chinese wave spreading over Italy and it does have an influence over us," Corvino said. "But we honestly have not received any offer. Everybody knows he has a release clause valued at €50 million and we are not thinking of anything else. We don't know if anything will happen."

Kalinic has scored nine goals in 19 Serie A outings this season, and is yet to miss a game despite the ongoing uncertainty about his future.

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