Aston Villa are reportedly set to begin negotiations with Galatasaray over a possible deal to sign Nicolo Zaniolo this month.
The 24-year-old joined the Turkish giants in February after spells with Inter and Roma, and he went on to score five goals and provide one assist in 12 appearances.
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Zaniolo also has 13 caps for Italy and is undoubtedly a talented individual who could add a new dynamic to attacking midfield options, but he did suffer serious knee injuries back in 2020 which might perhaps raise concern for some over any potential move.
Nevertheless, according to Fabrizio Romano, Villa are working on a deal to sign the Italian international as he is one of the top names on our transfer shortlist, and negotiations are now expected to take place with Galatasaray.
VIlla’s President of Football Operations, Monchi, knows Zaniolo well having signed him during his time at Roma, and so given the suggestion that Villa are now keen on him, Unai Emery seemingly believes that he would be a good fit for our current squad too.
While Villa did add Moussa Diaby to the squad this summer to bolster our attacking options, question marks have been raised over the futures of the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Bertrand Traore, Leon Bailey and Cameron Archer, and so the expectation is that we could see a lot of movement between now and the end of the transfer window.
Should any exits materialise for those named above, Villa would certainly have to move to bring in replacements as we need to maintain a healthy level of competition and depth as we look to compete on multiple fronts in the upcoming campaign.
Zaniolo would add technical ability, creativity and an eye for goal along with a good work ethic, and combine that with the influence that Emery could have on him to improve his game and take him to the next level, it could be another sensible and exciting signing who fits our system and style of play well.
The Villa boss has consistently reiterated his desire to control tempo and possession in games and we’ve seen how our style has evolved under him, and so Zaniolo would undoubtedly add to that with his ability on the ball and in the final third.