Deadline-day frustration as Fiorentina miss out on Aston Villa loanee

The failed deadline-day move of Kosta Nedeljković to Fiorentina has sparked frustration across multiple camps, with conflicting accounts emerging over who was responsible for a deal that collapsed at the final hurdle.

The Aston Villa owned right back had been expected to leave RB Leipzig after struggling for minutes in the Bundesliga, with Fiorentina lining him up as a late solution on loan. However, despite apparent progress on Monday, the three-way agreement ultimately fell apart — prompting sharp disagreement between Italian and German sources.

Kosta Nedeljković has been on loan at RB Leipzig but has featured just five times in the league this season and has not played for over a month. That lack of involvement convinced Fiorentina to pursue a deal, with the 20-year-old keen on a move to Serie A.

Earlier in the day, reports from Germany suggested Aston Villa were in talks with Leipzig over cancelling the loan early. Journalist Philipp Hinze later claimed Nedeljković had reached an agreement with Fiorentina to join on loan until the end of the campaign.

Yet when the window closed, the transfer had not gone through.

Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb reported that the deal “fell through in the final hour” because Fiorentina did not have enough time to submit the required paperwork before the deadline.

That version was disputed by journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, who insisted the documents were signed in time and that the move collapsed because of Leipzig.

According to Di Marzio, Leipzig “ruined everything” by effectively blocking the transfer, suggesting the Bundesliga club were never truly willing to let the player leave mid-season.

However, this claim has been rejected in Germany.

Sky Deutschland reported that Leipzig were not at fault and that the deal collapsed because Fiorentina and Aston Villa failed to agree final terms.

That account contradicts the Italian narrative and highlights how multiple parties were involved in a deal that hinged on timing, paperwork and shifting positions late on deadline day.

At present, there is no official confirmation clarifying which version is accurate, leaving the situation unresolved.

What is clear is that both Fiorentina and Nedeljković are frustrated. The Serbia international had been ready to restart his season in Italy after weeks without football in Germany, while Fiorentina believed they had secured a defensive reinforcement.

Instead, the defender remains on loan at Leipzig, where his immediate role remains uncertain heading into the final months of the campaign.

Unless clarity emerges from one of the clubs involved, Nedeljković is set to remain at RB Leipzig until the summer, when Aston Villa are expected to reassess his future. Fiorentina, meanwhile, may revisit right-back options in the next window after seeing this move unravel at the last moment.