Fiorentina insist £30m Leicester target Nico Gonzalez is not for sale

Fiorentina have told Leicester that attacker Nicolás González is not for sale.

sports mail reported on Friday that the Foxes were stepping up their move to sign the £30 million Argentine. But the Italian team have publicly rejected his approach and now seem set to stick with the 24-year-old.

The Argentine attacker was a priority target for the Foxes, who would have been willing to make him one of the club’s highest-paid players if they could agree a fee with the Serie A side.

Fiorentina have told Leicester that 24-year-old attacker Nicolás González (pictured) is not for sale

González is believed to earn a salary of around £83,000 a week, more than any other player in Florence has been paid.

It was believed that Fiorentina would let him go for around £30m to help finance other moves and despite public insistence that he is unavailable, the situation is believed to be a bit more complex.

Like most Serie A clubs, Fiorentina are far from wealthy and would find it hard to resist a big offer, especially as they are interested in signing at least one central midfielder in this window.

The Italian team’s stance will be a blow to Foxes coach Brendan Rodgers (pictured)

While they would consider a player swap, with Leicester midfielder Dennis Praet admired, Fiorentina would prefer a straight cash deal.

Fiorentina also wants Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who impressed his country at the World Cup when the Atlas Eagles reached the semifinals.

Primarily a left winger, González can play in a variety of roles, on the right or as a centre-forward, and would provide Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers with flexibility in tactics.

Fiorentina are also interested in retaining Moroccan World Cup star Sofyan Amrabat (above)

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has been eyeing a right winger for over a year now, and was sorely disappointed that the club were unable to turn Ademola Lookman’s loan deal into a permanent move.

They also looked at Burkina Faso winger Dango Ouattara, who plays for French club Lorient.

After improving before the World Cup break, the Foxes have lost all three of their league games since the restart and are now just two points above the relegation zone, ahead of Saturday’s trip to local rivals Nottingham Forest.