Mihajlovic move doomed

'Going back to Rome'
Mihajlovic gave the club a deadline of Wednesday morning to have the contract issue settled and subsequently decided to leave Florence and return to Rome after his request was not met. "I do not want to have anything to do with Fiorentina again," he said. "I am 32 years old. I am a professional and they are not serious. I am going back to Rome, where I will put myself back at Lazio's disposal."

Joined squad for training
Mihajlovic had agreed a deal to join the Serie A strugglers on Tuesday and joined the Viola squad for training after receiving guarantees from coach Roberto Mancini, his former team-mate at Lazio, that the club would complete the formalities of his transfer.

No new players
But he was left in limbo after the chief administrator of the debt-ridden club, Luciano Luna, said he was not willing to sign any contracts for new players until the club's debts were dealt with. "I can't and I don't intend to aggravate further the debt situation of the club by taking on new obligations for the club," Luna said in a statement.

Mancini's future in doubt
Luna, who is running the club on behalf of owner Vittorio Cecchi Gori, had said last week that Fiorentina would not be able to make any reinforcements to the injury-ravaged squad. The announcement cast grave doubts on Mancini's future. He hinted he would step down after his side sank to second-bottom in Serie A following defeat at home to AC Perugia on Sunday, but was persuaded to stay on by Cecchi Gori.

Adriano another target
After Cecchi Gori assured him that there would be cash for new players, Mancini moved to tie up the deal for Mihajlovic and also looked set to make a fresh effort to sign Internazionale FC's Brazilian striker Adriano on loan.

Mixed signals
Fiorentina's perilous financial situation has dogged their season and they were unable to pay players' wages for the first three months of the campaign. Cecchi Gori has been urged to sell the club by fan groups and local politicians but has sent out mixed signals of his intentions and his indecision has added to the air of confusion surrounding the club.

Stankovic deal collapsed
This is the second time this season that Fiorentina have failed in their attempt to sign a Lazio player. In the summer another Yugoslavian international, Dejan Stankovic, was officially unveiled as a Fiorentina player but had to return to Lazio after Cecchi Gori admitted there was no cash for the deal.