According to Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, Nicolo Zaniolo is the closest Tottenham Hotspur to making a new signing – but there is still a lot of work to do to get a deal done.
After their impressive six signings so far, it is rumoured that Spurs are now looking to bring in an attacking midfielder before the end of the window, with the likes of James Maddison linked as the club have liked him for a while now, but the club are now downplaying rumours around the Englishman.
However, one playmaker who is the closest to joining, according to Eccleshare, is Roma’s Zaniolo – but he insists a deal to bring him to north London is not close to being complete.
Discussing which creative midfielders Spurs are interested in, Eccleshare told Chris Cowlin: “Zaniolo is the one where they’re probably furthest along with, and even that’s not especially far.”
TIF Thoughts on Zaniolo to Spurs…
After signing Richarlison for £60m to bolster their attacking options, it may seem odd that they’re looking to bring in another player who would compete for that position, but it is undeniable that Zaniolo would improve their options and give them even greater depth.
Last season, Zaniolo played most of his games on the right wing and as a second striker just behind Tammy Abraham. In these appearances, the Italian picked up eight goals and nine assists while ranking in the 90th percentile for progressive passes received, the 83rd for touches in the attacking penalty area, and in the 81st for dribbles completed, compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers in the top five European leagues.
It was recently reported the north London outfit are ready to make an opening bid for the £42.5m-rated starlet, but could face competition from Italian giants Juventus, who Zaniolo supported as a child.
While it could prove hard to entice Roma into selling one of their prized assets, they certainly have the cash to compete, and the allure of the Premier League and Antonio Conte could help them further. We will have to see how their interest develops over the remainder of the window.
Will Spurs sign Zaniolo?
No
Yes
