Fiorentina sports chief Pantaleo Corvino insists the only difference between themselves and AC Milan is the level of investment.

"Fiorentina have champions too but we can't compete with Milan's financial power in the market," he lamented. "They can spend £12m on an 18-year-old whereas we can't.

"However, I am proud of the way our side is performing and I hope that they can immediately bounce back because we can still achieve our Scudetto, which is finishing in fourth place."