The Turin media have been reporting interest from Torino in Roberto Pereyra since the start of the winter market.
At first there was a whole lot of confidence a deal for the Watford player could be done. It felt misplaced, given the money it would cost and the lure of the Premier League compared to playing for Torino, but there was insistence.
As often happens, that then turned to doubt over whether it was possible at all, especially in the January window, and a source who would know has suggested it isn’t.
Tuttosport, a Turin newspaper, has spoken to Sergio Furlan, who is described as the player’s legal representative.
Asked about the player’s good relationship with Walter Mazzarri, currently Torino manager, Furlan said: “It’s like that. This is why Maxi moved to England, after two years at Juventus. But Mazzarri already wanted him at the time of Napoli, in 2012, after his first championship in Udinese.”
When Tuttosport said Mazzarri wanted Pereyra in the summer, the representative said: “I confirm.”
And then of Watford’s excessive demands scuppering a move in that window, he said: “I cannot deny it.”
On whether a transfer is possible this month, Furlan talked the situation down: “In the market you can never say never, but I tend to exclude it almost categorically. Maxi would not want to leave his team in such a delicate moment. He’s concentrated on Watford. And the club absolutely does not want to sell, halfway through the championship.”
