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Tottenham Hotspur could miss out on the signing of Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, per Calciomercato.
What’s the word?
The Daily Mirror reported earlier this month that Spurs were lining up a £40million bid for the Serie A star.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season in Italy, playing 36 times in all competitions and scoring six goals, while providing two assists.
However, he has now claimed following the conclusion of the league season that he hopes to commit his future to Roma in the coming weeks, which would certainly rule out a Tottenham move for this summer.
Quoted by Calciomercato, he said: “I am very positive about the meeting to be held soon. My agent will talk about this with the club, but I am positive.”
The report also claims that Manchester United and Juventus have taken an interest in securing Zaniolo’s signature.
A raw youngster
Per WhoScored, Zaniolo is nothing more than potential at this point in time.
An attacking midfielder who also offers the ability to play on the wing, he is yet to truly mature as a player.
In Serie A this season, he has been dispossessed 2.5 times per game, while taking 2.6 unsuccessful touches and boasting a pass completion rate of just 81.3%.
He averages less than one key pass per game, too, along with 1.7 fouls from 1.3 tackles.
Zaniolo may well have matured into a star under Mauricio Pochettino but it certainly appears that Spurs may well have dodged a bullet here.
As it is, he probably needs another season or two in Italy before he is truly ready to make the move to the Premier League. Tottenham, in contrast, need signings that are ready to take the club up a level straight away.
