Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily linked with a move for the Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo in recent months.
According to reports (h/t SportWitness), Tottenham wanted to sign the 23-year-old Italian midfielder at the start of the season.
Apparently, Spurs were looking to sign the player on loan with an obligation to buy if they managed to secure Champions League qualification. However, Roma turned down the offer because they wanted guaranteed money for the midfielder.
There were rumours that the Italian club would look to offer Zaniolo a new contract if he stayed at the club beyond the summer transfer window. However, the renewal offer from the Italian club never arrived and Zaniolo was heavily linked with a move away from Roma during the January transfer window as well.
Apparently, Tottenham tried to sign the attacking midfielder once again but their approach was rebuffed because of similar reasons. Tottenham are only prepared to accept an obligation to buy the player if they secured Champions League qualification and Roma were unwilling to accept the proposal.
Zaniolo is now stuck at Roma and he is no longer an indispensable asset for the Italian outfit.
When Tottenham made their move for the player in January, his agent Claudio Vigorelli was convinced that his client would end up at Tottenham before the end of the January window.
It will be interesting to see if Zaniolo remains on Tottenham’s wishlist at the end of the season. Spurs have a decent chance of finishing in the top four and securing Champions League qualification. If they manage to do so, they should have the funds to sign the Roma midfielder in the summer.
Zaniolo has a contract with Roma until the summer of 2024 and he could be available for a reasonable price in the summer.
Spurs certainly could use more creativity from the central areas and the Italian would be a superb acquisition.
He is still quite young and a world-class manager like Conte could help him improve further and fulfil his tremendous potential.
