Tottenham are plotting a £40million swoop to sign Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper claims that Spurs are hoping to beat Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich to the signing of the 19-year-old Italy international, who Mauricio Pochettino wants in his squad next season.
It is understood that Roma are braced for offers for Zaniolo this summer but they want to convince him to stay put in the Italian capital by offering him a new deal.
Good move for Tottenham?
Zaniolo has had a great season with Roma by scoring six goals and supplying two assists in 35 appearances across all competitions.
He earned his first senior cap for Italy in March and has played a key role in Roma’s season since breaking into the starting line-up around November and December.
Spurs could do with adding bodies to their squad in almost every position in the summer and Zaniolo’s versatility means that he could be a very good squad player for his first couple of years in North London.
The attacking midfielder can play on both wings, as a No 10, in a central midfield role or as a centre-forward.
£40million could seem like a bargain for the young Italian in a couple of years’ time.
This is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
Spurs are going to have to big big and bid soon for Zaniolo because he is wanted by some massive clubs and there is always the chance that he could accept Roma’s contract offer for him.
Daniel Levy is not known for splashing the cash and he could have reservation about spending £40million on a player who has only had one full season in senior football.
However Levy may see that Zaniolo has massive potential and could fetch a profit in the future.
This is Futbol rating 4/10