Tottenham Hotspur are in negotiations to seal a move for Nicolo Zaniolo…
What’s the word?
That’s according to French outlet Foot Mercato, who claim that the Lilywhites are in talks to sign the AS Roma star on a loan with an option to buy.
It’s thought that the Serie A outfit would be open to selling the Italy international as manager Jose Mourinho may struggle to find a place in the starting XI following the arrival of Paulo Dybala, who is expected to support Tammy Abraham and Lorenzo Pellegrini in the attack.
It remains to be seen how much that option to buy would be, though CIES Football Observatory currently value the 23-year-old at €40m (£34m), so he surely wouldn’t come cheap.
Do you want Zaniolo at Spurs this season?
Kulusevski 2.0
This is a deal that could see Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici repeat his previous transfer masterclass with Dejan Kulusevski, who currently remains on loan at Hotspur Way for the next 12 months after joining from Juventus back in January.
As per the BBC, the Sweden winger has an option to buy for around £29.2m and given his form in 2022, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the north Londoners pull the trigger, sooner rather than later.
In just 20 appearances, Kuluevski delivered five goals and eight assists, via Transfermarkt. He has been the only man to rival the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son in terms of attacking exploits for quite some time and he is likely to be the starter alongside the long-serving Spurs duo.
Zaniolo would add a further dimension to manager Antonio Conte’s squad, though given his injury record, it’s a wise decision to try and lure him to N17 on an initial loan.
That said, when the Italian dynamo is fit, he is a lethal threat from the engine room, having provided Roma with eight goals and nine assists across all competitions last season, including the winner in their Europa Conference League triumph over Feyenoord.
The 23-year-old gem, dubbed “explosive” by Giallorossi legend Francesco Totti, is capable of being that creative option that Conte is currently lacking. He ranks inside the top 3% of his positional peers in the Serie A for through balls (0.32 per 90) and the top 4% for dribbles attempted (4.93 per 90), via FBref.
That ability to drive the ball forward before laying the ball off to the striker or out wide is exactly what Spurs need right now to complete their impressive summer business.
Paratici must look to get this one over the line, just a month away from the transfer deadline.
AND in other news, Conte’s 7-word hint will send Spurs fans wild…
