Roma starlet Nicolò Zaniolo has flourished in the Serie A since his move to the Giallorossi in 2018, establishing himself as an important part of the Roma squad. Zaniolo has been a perfect fit to Roma’s new style of aggressive and offensive football, with his highly explosive pace and fantastic work-rate.
It has now emerged that Tottenham Hotspur are considering making a bid for the highly rated 21-year-old, amid growing speculation of his transfer.
Zoniolo started out in the Fiorentina youth system, before moving to Inter Milan on a €1.8 million transfer in 2018. He did not make any competitive appearances for the Nerazzurri, before he was sold to Roma on a €4.5 million transfer, part of a deal that saw Radja Nainggolan move the opposite way.
There had been rumours of a falling out between Zoniolo and the manager, but Paulo Fonseca later denied the claims, stating that, “We don’t want to sell Zaniolo” and that he is “important for the future of Roma.”
Paulo Fonseca had a go at Nicolo Zaniolo for failing to track back, late in the game in their 2-1 victory over Verona, “When you come on, first of all you need to make sure you work hard for your teammates – that’s something I always say. Today I didn’t like it because he didn’t assist his teammates.”
But Zaniolo took to Instagram before the clash against SPAL to quash any rumours of him being unhappy, “It’s like when you fall in love. You feel good together, she brings out the best in you and you want to be seen with her.”
“It’s the same thing. Really, I love this shirt.”
Italian journalist and transfer-expert Nicolo Schira claims that Tottenham are willing to offer €50 million for the services of the Italian, with Juventus and Inter Milan also interested. Tottenham had a bid in the region of £30m rejected last year and will have to cough up more to convince Roma to sell their talent.
The Tottenham board see the youngster as a ‘considerable prospect’ who will excel in the Premier League. However, the player is not at the top of Jose Mourinho’s target list, as the Portuguese is looking to bring in a more defensive minded midfielder and bolster their weak defence. Tottenham already have a host of players like Dele Alli and Lucas Moura who can play the attacking midfield role, and it is really curious why the board are after Zaniolo.
Zaniolo has made ten goal contributions for Roma this season, scoring eight goals and setting up two assists in 28 appearances. The Italian is keen to stay at Roma for another season, but it remains to be seen where his future lies.
