Turkish side Fenerbahce is closing in on a deal to sign Ricardo Rodriguez from Milan after the Turkish Federation gave a green light for the transfer, as Calciomercato confirms. This could be the second transfer in the direction of Milan-Fenerbahce in a matter of days after Victor Moses joined Inter yesterday.
Since Theo Hernandez arrived at Milan from Real Madrid in the summer, the 27-year old Rodriguez lost his spot at the team’s starting eleven. There were reports suggesting Fenerbahce’s interest dating from back then and now it seems the deal is sealed.
Rodriguez joined Milan in 2016 from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg for a fee in the region of €15 million. He appeared in a total of 93 games for the Italian giant but has only featured in 5 games this season. Rodriguez started his career in his home-town FC Zürich in 2010, where he played until joining Wolfsburg in 2012.
He is a Swiss international with 71 matches and 8 goals for his country. Rodriguez was voted Swiss Footballer of the Year in 2014. He’s represented Switzerland at the last two World Cups, and Euro 2016, and expected to be a first-team choice for his country in the upcoming Euro 2020 this summer.
Switzerland were drawn in Group “A” alongside Italy, Turkey, and Wales.
Fenerbahce had issues with FFP
The Turkish Federation initially blocked the move earlier, because of Financial Fair Play regulations. In the summer UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) punished the team for breaching the FFP agreement in the 2018/19 season.
While the Turkish side avoided a ban, there were restrictions in order. The club has a restriction on registering new players in the absence of a positive transfer balance in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
