Mirror report says Marcos Alonso is off to Italy, shocks no one

The Marcos Alonso contract situation is an ongoing affair that now looks like it is reaching its conclusion. The left back's current deal expires at the end of June but despite continuing talks between the player and the club, Alonso's exit is getting ever closer to confirmation. According to the Daily Mirror, Alonso's free transfer to Serie A side Fiorentina is just about done.

This is news that is not, or at the very least should not, be shocking to anyone. It's been coming since the January window when La Viola first expressed their interest in the young defender along with (an admittedly) faint interest from Swansea and late push from Stoke City. The Italian team were always the favorites, offering Alonso wages rumored to be near double what he made at Bolton Wanderers.

Alonso's father said as much when he spoke about the situation to tuttomercatoweb a month ago:

"Yes, Fiorentina are very, very close to Marcos.

"We were in Florence for the first time in December, to speak with the Viola.

"But now Marcos wants to finish this season quietly with Bolton, trying to do his best professional job to bring the club into the Premier League."

On top of that, Fiorentina are guaranteed European football next season in the form of Europa League but have a small chance at Champions League play. As things stand, with 37 matches played, Fiorentina are fourth in the Serie A table, two points behind third-place AC Milan. With a Milan loss (against already relegated Siena) and a Fiorentina win (against already relegated Pescara) on the final day, La Viola would sneak into third place.

After two years of stop-start action at Bolton, Alonso finally broke into the starting lineup this season under Owen Coyle and flourished under Dougie Freedman, making 30 total appearances (29 starting) for the Trotters this season. Alonso's specialty was getting forward from the spot but barring a few very good defending performances, his contributions at the back left a bit to be desired in terms of marking and stopping crosses.

The news is not confirmed as of yet but time is running out for both parties to change the likely outcome.