Aston Villa are reportedly among the clubs monitoring Galatasaray midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, with regard to a summer transfer.
The Italy international raised a lot of eyebrows when he departed Roma in favour of the Turkish giants earlier this year, and the 24-year-old is still being eyed up by some top European clubs.
Zaniolo was a top prospect at Roma, but he suffered numerous injury setbacks before joining Galatasaray, and has since scored five times in 12 games.
A report from TuttoMercatoWeb has now named Aston Villa as one of the clubs monitoring him this summer. Fabrizio Romano previously reported that he has a €35m (£30m) release clause in his Galatasaray contract, and this could end up being a bargain buy for whoever lands him.
Should Villa move for Zaniolo?
Villa have had a highly ambitious summer transfer window, with Unai Emery and Monchi keen to take the Villains up another level having already qualified for the Europa Conference League.
The attacking midfielder could be an excellent depth option in the middle of the park alongside summer arrival Youri Tielemans and captain John McGinn, and can also play on the wings.
His unreliable fitness record means that Zaniolo may have to initially be a rotation player before seeing whether he can put a run of games together, but he could add serious quality to the Villa midfield, with Jose Mourinho previously describing him as “devastating” in attack when at Roma.
Zaniolo made 128 appearances for Roma prior to his departure, scoring 24 and assisting 18 times, and was renowned for his incredible technique and vision when on the ball.
The report also claims that Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona and clubs from Saudi Arabia are keeping an eye on him, but the release clause means that if Villa wish to buy him, they can yet again flex their financial muscle and land another top target after Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby.
It is unclear whether Emery would like another attacking midfielder in this window, but if he is keen to add to his ranks, then this could be a very simple transfer to do.
