Daniel Levy and ex-managing director Fabio Paratici have found themselves back in the same story this week, away from Tottenham Hotspur. Reports from Italy have linked both men to events unfolding in the United States.
Earlier this month, reports from England stated Levy sold a 24.99% stake in Tottenham parent company ENIC. This reduced his holding to just 4.89% and ended his status as one of the group’s major shareholders.
Against that backdrop, any suggestion of the long-time Spurs figure becoming involved elsewhere is likely to generate interest. Now, his name has surfaced alongside another familiar face for Tottenham supporters.
According to journalist Enzo Bucchioni, suggestions emerged that Levy and Paratici could have met in the United States. Fiorentina executives were also in the country for talks with club owner Rocco Commisso.
That immediately raised eyebrows. Levy has previously been linked by sections of the Italian media with a potential interest in Fiorentina. However, there has never been any concrete evidence that he was seriously pursuing a takeover.
Fiorentina move quickly to cool things down
Bucchioni explains that reports of a meeting involving Levy and Fiorentina chief executive Alessandro Ferrari were denied by the Serie A club.
According to the journalist, those involved insist that if Levy and Paratici did cross paths. However, it was nothing more than two old colleagues taking the chance to catch up… Not the start of any discussions about Fiorentina’s future.
At the same time, fresh denials have reportedly arrived regarding suggestions that the club could be sold.
That has not completely killed the story, though. Bucchioni notes that Paratici has spent a significant amount of time in New York, longer than some would expect for routine meetings, while discussions continue over Fiorentina’s planning and ambitions going forward.
Familiar faces for Tottenham fans
Fabio Paratici remains a recognisable figure for Tottenham supporters after helping assemble parts of the current squad.
The Italian played a major role in bringing players such as Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur to Spurs. Therefore, his name rarely stays away from Tottenham conversations for long.
Even after leaving his formal role, Paratici has continued to be linked with Tottenham business. He has been credited with helping facilitate deals involving the club, including the loan move that took Manor Solomon away from Spurs. He is also maintaining close connections with key figures in north London.
That is why even a fairly vague report involving Paratici and Levy meeting on the other side of the Atlantic is enough to get people talking.
At this stage, there is no suggestion Tottenham are involved in anything connected to Fiorentina. Instead, the story is really about two influential figures from the club’s recent history appearing in the same orbit once again. This fuels the inevitable speculation that follows.
For now, the denials remain in place and there is little in the way of hard evidence. But as Bucchioni puts it, time will eventually reveal whether there was anything more to the reported encounter than a simple catch-up between old colleagues.
