Rome (AFP)

Extension to Fiorentina?

Another adventure elsewhere?

An improbable retirement?

The future of Franck Ribéry, 37, is fueling speculation as his contract with the Viola ends at the end of June.

Fiorentina found Friday night Inter Milan, a team that had inspired "FR7" in the first leg: despite the defeat (3-4), the French had splashed the match with his talent with two assists at San Siro.

Ribéry, victim of a "small physical problem", is however uncertain for this return match, indicated Thursday afternoon his trainer Cesare Prandelli.

Fiorentina, disappointing this season (11th), still depends a lot on the passes and races of the ex-striker from Marseille and Bayern Munich, sometimes brilliant, sometimes more discreet, depending in particular on his physical problems.

Installed since the summer of 2019 in Tuscany, where he regularly claims to be very happy, Ribéry comes to the end of his contract in June and he has not yet lifted the veil on the rest of the story.

"I am always available to everyone, it is at the club that the question should be asked," he said, with a big smile, last week after his first goal of the season against Torino (1-1).

Caution is also required on the side of the leaders of the Viola.

They said this week it was still too early to talk about a possible extension.

Even if the Italian-American owner of the club, Rocco Commisso, assured Monday, during a radio show on RAI, that he "did not like to make people leave".

In the absence of an agreement, and even officially negotiations with Fiorentina, speculation is rife on the future of the native of Boulogne-sur-mer, who will celebrate his 38 years in early April.

The German press has raised the possibility of a return to the Bundesliga after statements by the Frenchman to the popular daily Bild, to whom he said he wanted to live again with his family, still living in Munich.

This week, the French magazine France Football spoke of the interest of the ambitious Monza club, owned by Silvio Berlusconi, if he managed to reach Serie A at the end of the season (he is currently 2nd in Serie B).

What Adriano Galliani, right-hand man of Berlusconi and boss of the Lombard club who recently recruited Mario Balotelli has not denied: "Ribery's story comes from his great friendship with Boateng (Kevin-Prince Boateng, currently at Monza after a brief stint at Fiorentina, editor's note). If we go to Serie A, we will think about it, "he assured Wednesday on the Roman radio Teleradiostereo.

Retirement, on the other hand, does not yet appear on the Ribery explosive program.

But, above all, he must help Fiorentina to find a ranking more in line with its ambitions.

© 2021 AFP