Aston Villa could be set to lose Nicolo Zaniolo in the summer, with reports in Italy claiming that the midfielder is a wanted man in Turin.
Aston Villa are enjoying a thrilling 2023/24 campaign with Unai Emery’s eyes firmly on the remainder of the season, although not every member of the squad could be a Villan by the end of the term.
In the summer, Villa welcomed Nicolo Zaniolo on loan from Turkish champions Galatasaray to cover for the injury to Emiliano Buendia, but all has not been well for the 24-year-old in England so far.
The versatile attacking asset has managed to secure only seven starts in the Premier League under Emery, netting just one goal in that time, with other members of the squad possessing a far higher claim to the favoured XI than the Italian.
Nicolo Zaniolo could leave Aston Villa in the summer
At the point of his arrival in the Midlands, his parent club explained that there is a ‘conditional compulsory purchase option’ involved in the deal, although it’s now suspected that the £60k-a-week gem’s future will be away from Villa Park.
Now, reports in Italy have revealed that Juventus are eyeing a move for the former Roma whiz, with the club’s director of football, Cristiano Giuntoli, admitting the lengths he is willing to go to acquire the Villa man’s signature.
As relayed by Sport Witness, Giuntoi is ‘ready to pounce like a hawk’ in order to welcome Zaniolo to Juventus when his loan contract in the Premier League expires in the summer.
It’s added that the 36-time Italian champions would be willing to give the 24-year-old the chance to once again ‘compete at the highest level’, an important factor considering his sporadic role at Villa.
What Unai Emery has said about Nicolo Zaniolo?
Last month, the manager loosely admitted that he had perhaps expected more from his summer acquisition when speaking to the media on his attacking options.
“Nicolo Zaniolo, his first part of the season was not being consistent. But after speaking with him and after the circumstances he had before, I think in the second half of the season he is going to really help us.”
The cards are there in Villa’s hands to play, meaning that a resurgence of form from Zaniolo could see the Villans opt to pay the money to make his contract permanent, a matter that only time will tell.
Considering Juventus’ passion for bringing the Italy international back to his homeland, the speculation regarding his future will undoubtedly rise as the remainder of the season plays out and his role at Villa becomes better understood.
