Tottenham could be about to lose one of their key staff members ahead of the January transfer window.
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Tottenham could be about to lose sporting director Fabio Paratici just months after reinstating him to his role. The Italian was banned by FIFA for 30 months, leading to his resignation from his Spurs role.
The ban was related to financial irregularities from his time at Juventus, with the Italian club found guilty of false accounting and docked 10 points at the time.
Paratici agreed to a plea deal that saw him and other former Juve chiefs dodge an 18-month prison sentence, but he was banned from football for 30 months by FIFA, leading to his resignation. Paratici did not have to admit guilt as part of the plea deal.
In October, after serving his ban, Paratici was reinstated by Tottenham, appointed as joint-sporting director across Johan Lange.
He said at the time: “I'm delighted to be returning to a club that I love. I have been working with Johan, Vinai [Venkatesham] and Thomas [Frank] as a consultant for a number of months and I now look forward to returning to London and joining the team full time.
"I'm convinced that working in partnership with Johan we can build a special future for the club and our supporters."
Paratici could now leave the club
Despite those kind words for the club, it seems Paratici may not stick around to repay Tottenham’s faith in his abilities. According to reports in Italy, the Italian could be about to leave the club to join Fiorentina.
Firenze Viola report that Paratici has agreed to become the new sporting chief at Fiorentina and that he is already working to establish a staff to join him. They speculate that Leonardo Gabbanini and Lorenzo Giani are in the running to join the current Spurs chief at the Serie A club.
The loss of Paratici would be a very disappointing one for Spurs, given they have only just welcomed back the Italian, showing plenty of faith to bring him back after his ban. It would also spark some concern ahead of the January transfer window, when the North London club are expected to make at least one pricey signing.