As per Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa are closing on in a deal for Nicoló Zaniolo from Galatasaray.
The deal will see the versatile forward move to the Midlands side on loan with a potential option to buy also included in the contract. The deal is now set to be completed, with the ‘final green light’ expected soon.
As for the details of the agreement, Villa will pay a €4m loan fee and completely cover the players salary- whilst the buy option clause will be worth €22m, plus a potential €4m in add-ons.
Widely known for his time at AS Roma, where he scored 24 and assisted 18 in 128 appearances, the 24-year-old is capable of playing in variety of forward positions, such as right-wing, attacking midfield, and second-striker and has shown glimpses of his exceptional talent over the years, but has significantly suffered with injuries.
Zaniolo first ruptured his ACL in January 2020- keeping him out for six months- before a more severe rupture to his other ACL suffered in September 2020 saw him miss the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign. These two injuries saw the Italian’s market value drastically fall from €55m in August 2020 to his current value of €27m- as per Transfermarkt– as he struggled to return to full fitness, whilst his explosiveness and ability to carry the ball at the feet became restricted- which were some of his most noticeable and outstanding traits.
Furthermore, after falling out of favour under José Mourinho last season and seeing a €30m move to Bournemouth fall through in January, the Italian international eventually made a €15m move to Galatasaray- who he will make the move to the Villans from.
With Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres, and Youri Tielemans already having arrived, this deal will be mark the fourth signing at Villa Park this summer, and Unai Emery’s side will hope Zaniolo can display the potential he has previously shown, as they look to replace the Argentinian Emiliano Buendía in the coming campaign, who is set to be out for a prolonged period after suffering a torn ACL in pre-season.
Travis Levison | Get Football
