An initial inquiry has reportedly taken place between Fiorentina and Roma regarding 24-year-old Moroccan international midfielder Neil El Aynaoui. Fiorentina's sporting director, Fabio Paratici, is said to be interested in the player. Paratici was spotted at the MetLife Stadium on June 14th watching Morocco's World Cup match against Brazil while he was in the US. During this scouting trip, where he was also monitoring other Moroccan midfielders like Getafe's Azzedine Ounahi, Paratici was reportedly impressed by El Aynaoui.
Any negotiation is described as particularly complex for Fiorentina. This is partly because Roma's coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, considers El Aynaoui an important squad player and has given him progressively more playing time. There is also a financial consideration, as the player was purchased from Lens last summer for a total fee of around 25 million euros. Furthermore, following the match against Brazil, El Aynaoui stated that he feels very good at Roma and that he would be staying. El Aynaoui has 17 caps and 2 goals for Morocco and is under contract until 2030. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is €23.00m. During the 2025/2026 Serie A season, he made 25 appearances, scoring 1 goal and providing 2 assists. Other clubs, including RB Leipzig, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid, have also been linked with him.
