Former Fiorentina President Giancarlo Antognoni feels “Antonio Cassano is the man who could make the difference here.”

The Tuscans have repeatedly been linked with a bid for the Milan bench-warmer, especially after Adrian Mutu was sold to Cesena.

“Cassano is the man who could make the difference here. I am certain he'd do very well in an environment like Florence,” Antognoni told Sky Sport Italia.

It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the Viola, as Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic rejected a move to Inter, Riccardo Montolivo refused to sign a contract extension and Alberto Gilardino raised doubts on whether he'd stay.

“The club ought to make its presence felt more strongly,” continued the former captain and fan favourite.

“They made a mistake in not protecting Mihajlovic and they also seem distant from Montolivo, almost as if they don't want to keep him.

“Replacing Mutu will not be easy, as he is a great talent. Stevan Jovetic could fill in, but other players are needed too.”

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