Fiorentina Rejects Sancho as Paratici Shapes New Project

Jadon Sancho keeps brushing up against Serie A. It keeps turning away.

Twelve months ago, his name circled around Roma in a drawn-out saga. Talk, interest, negotiations – then nothing. Sancho headed to Aston Villa, Roma moved on, and Manchester United quietly chose not to extend his contract beyond this summer.

Now he is a free agent, a big name without a club. In theory, a low-risk gamble for an ambitious side. In practice, not everyone sees it that way.

According to reports in Italy, Fiorentina were offered the chance to step in. Sancho’s entourage made contact around two weeks ago, sounding out La Viola’s interest in taking the winger on a free. No transfer fee, a marquee profile, a player still in his mid‑20s.

They said no.

The refusal was not emotional, nor was it particularly shocking inside Italy. Fiorentina have been busy this summer, reshaping the squad with a clear plan. Sancho’s recent track record – patchy form, off‑field noise, an increasingly complicated reputation – worked against him. The club preferred to stick to their blueprint.

That blueprint has a new architect. Fabio Paratici, back in Serie A circles after his spell in England, is overseeing a rebuild in Florence. He knows Sancho well from his time across the Premier League, has seen the talent at close range, has watched the decline just as closely. Faced with a choice, he turned his gaze elsewhere.

Fiorentina chose Franco Mastantuono instead, a younger profile with a cleaner recent history and, in their eyes, a better fit for the project taking shape. It was a statement as much as a signing: this is a club betting on upside, not on reclamation jobs.

For Sancho, it is another door closed in Italy. For Fiorentina, it is a reminder that the new regime will not be seduced by big names alone. The message from Florence is blunt: the rebuild has its own rhythm, and not every fallen star gets a second act on the Arno.