Serie A side rebuffed in attempts to sign Bolton ace

By Luke Greenwood

Posted on 26 January 2013, 19:00

Bolton Wanderers fans are anxious inside the Football Transfer Tavern over the future of their star Marcos Alonso, with Marc Iles of local paper The Bolton News reporting that Italian giants Fiorentina hold a serious interest in the player.

Dougie Freedman revealed the club had turned down a bid from the Viola for the full back, and also that Alonso himself had rejected a ‘very good’ contract extension at the Reebok Stadium.

And despite the risk of losing Alonso in the summer, Freedman is in no hurry to force a deal through.

“We feel we have done a lot for Marcos and we value him a lot more than Fiorentina have offered,” he said. “As we speak right now, we have rejected that and we move on.

“We have paid players a lot of money in the past and we’re not in the Premier League any more, so we have got to have a little look at that.

“We have offered Marcos a contract, a very good one, but he has refused and does not want to sign it. He doesn’t feel it’s quite right for himself.

“That puts us in a position. His contract is running out and those are the rules – we will get some compensation if he decides to leave. But I feel since I came here that he has played a few games, he is improving through the environment being better and the coaching being better. Therefore, he is an improving player and you might find he changes his mind.”

Freedman also believes Alonso can stay a crucial part of his plans and has not had his head turned by the Serie A giants. He is expected to play in the FA cup tie against Everton tomorrow after the Trotters overcame Premier League Sunderland in the third round courtesy of a replay at the Stadium of Light after the initial draw.

“How would your head be if you had an offer from Fiorentina and one from Bolton?” Freedman cheekily added. “I think I’d be okay.”