If Tottenham Hotspur are to land Jose Mourinho one of his summer targets, then Daniel Levy may need to fork out a little extra money to do so…
What’s the word?
According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), AS Roma have rejected bids of €50m (£45m) from several teams, one of which are Spurs and have claimed that another €10-20m (£9-18m) will be needed in order to secure his signature.
There’s also a suggestion that the Serie A club’s owners have taken the Italian playmaker off the market unless their valuation is met.
Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona are the other interested parties.
Shades of Lampard
Zaniolo is one of Europe’s hottest talents right now having picked up five caps already by the age of 21 whilst domestically this season alone, he’s provided eight goals and four assists.
The versatile all-rounded midfielder also averaged 2.3 dribbles, 1.7 shots and one key pass per appearance across the Europa League and the Serie A, via WhoScored.
He’s able to play in both the number eight and number ten role as well as out wide, so it’s no surprise to see him likened to some pretty outstanding legends of the Premier League – one who Mourinho has managed before.
Ex-Inter head coach Stefano Vecchi dubbed him a “modern mezzala” before describing him as a “[Steven] Gerrard, [Frank] Lampard-type” during an interview with Goal.
Such endorsements are intensified by Roma hero Francesco Totti, who said: “He has explosive strength and technique, and everything it takes to become a truly great player.”
€60m (£55m) is a lot of money in this current transfer market, but if Levy can pull out all the stops, then there’s no denying that the north Londoners would be getting a generational talent.
Just look at Lampard’s impact under Mourinho all those years ago, he could well land himself a similar player who could transform their underperforming midfield.
AND in other news, Spurs keen on £80m-rated “special” talent who tore apart Aurier…
The post Spurs must sign “explosive” Roma playmaker Nicolo Zaniolo for £55m first appeared on FootballFanCast.com.
