My two cents:
1. A compromise solution between 5-6 months and 9-12 months would be 8 months, so Froome would miss the Giro, but could prepare for and ride the Tour. Why would there be a compromise? Because both sides want this resolved ASAP, and neither side wants Froome racing with his status ambiguous. And most important, both sides have leverage, which they can use to bring pressure on CADF. If WADA thinks the suspension is too short, they can threaten to appeal it, so Froome rides both GTs under suspicion. Again, on one wants that. If Froome thinks the suspension is too long, he can avoid CADF completely and go directly to CAS. He might lose big there, but at least in that situation he could ride the double, again under suspicion, something no one wants. If he accepts a nine to twelve month ban, he won’t be able to ride either, so he would have little to lose by declining to accept that. His lawyers have probably told him that at worst he would get twelve months, anyway.
2. The Corriere story may have been leaked intentionally by Froome’s team. Why would they do that? To put a stop to all the critics pushing him to resolve the issue before he begins racing. If this story is true, Froome is doing everything he can to settle the matter ASAP, and at least must be given credit for that. Why then is Froome denying it? Because the deal isn’t done yet, and as noted above, if Froome doesn’t like the terms, he may go directly to CAS. If he confirms that he’s willing to accept any suspension, that could hurt his case there.