The writing’s been on the wall since Fiorentina added Mattia Viti, but now it’s official. Nicolás Valentini has once again been loaned out to Hellas Verona. This time, though, the Gialloblù have an option to buy him, although there are conflicting reports of what that option is. Nicolò Schira claims it’s a flat €4 million, while César Luis Merlo reports it’s €3 million for 50% of his rights, which is so outlandish now that partial ownership is outlawed in Italy that I feel like there must be something
behind it.
Di nuovo in gialloblù #WelcomeBackValentini #WeAreHellas #DaiVerona pic.twitter.com/Et8D11AUDE
— Hellas Verona FC (@HellasVeronaFC) July 22, 2025
That ambiguity perfectly represents Valentini’s career in Italy. As you might recall, he was ready to join Fiorentina last summer but the club couldn’t agree on a fee for him with Boca Juniors. In the end, he was sent to the stands for a few months and finally crossed the Atlantic in January on a Bosman. Instead of reinforcing the Viola defense, though, he spent 4 games on the bench before being flipped to Verona, a situation with which he was understandably not thrilled.
It seems that successive managers in Raffaele Palladino and Stefano Pioli have quickly decided that he’s not in their plans, which is a significant red flag. Valentini arrived with a sterling reputation as one of Argentina’s most promising young defenders, even earning an international callup last March, although he didn’t get off the bench. His time at the Bombonera and the Bentegodi exhibited athleticism, physicality, toughness, and the right amount of malice. He looks like an ascending player.
And yet Fiorentina’s bought 2 centerbacks to replace him in successive windows, first Pablo Marí and now Viti. Maybe I’m just terrible at evaluating players and Valentini simply isn’t good enough, but it’s a really weird situation and I’m pretty sure there’s something else going on here, although I have no idea what it is. I’m reminded of nothing so much as the truly bizarre Pedro episode; while this isn’t analogous, it’s at least roughly parallel in terms of inexplicability.
Because this whole business makes me doubt my own sanity, I wish Valentini every success in Verona and hope he convinces Hellas DS Sean Sogliano to trigger his option. Otherwise, he’ll be back in Florence every year until 2029, when his contract runs out. In bocca al lupo, Nicolás.
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