Aston Villa have been linked to one of Europe's stars, as Unai Emery prepares for a busy summer in charge at Villa Park.
Movements aren’t just being made in recruiting upgrades on the pitch, with reports suggesting that Sevilla’s sporting director Monchi will team up with Emery behind the scenes.
It’s encouraging news for Villa, who were left disappointed by the breakdown of talks with Mateu Alemany, and now Monchi could register his first masterclass by signing the club’s latest link.
What’s the latest on Nicolo Zaniolo to Aston Villa?
As reported by TuttoJuve (as relayed by Sport Witness), Aston Villa hold an interest in Galatasaray midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo.
The report comes from the side of Juventus, who are ‘following’ the talent that has a €35m (£30m) release clause in his current contract in Turkey.
It’s suggested however that the Italian ace could be tempted by a move to the Premier League, with a ‘bigger offer on the table’ from England, with Villa and Tottenham listed as clubs that ‘dream’ of securing his signature.
What could Nicolo Zaniolo bring to Aston Villa?
Having been once hailed by ex-Roma ace Christian Panucci on Sky Sports (via Roma Press) as having “remarkable quality”, Zaniolo could prove to be part of a huge upgrade at Villa Park.
The 23-year-old has had a far from easy start to his career, suffering two Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) ruptures in less than a year.
In his absence the Italian missed a considerable amount of game time at Roma, ending in him departing the club this winter for a challenge in Turkey.
Having spent just four months at Galatasaray, the Italian could be on the move again this summer after an impressive cameo in Istanbul suggesting that he could be a strong fit for Emery’s set-up.
The confirmation of the agreement to sign Leicester City dynamo Youri Tielemans on a free transfer has presented the Spaniard with the opportunity to make significant upgrades to his midfield, with Zaniolo having the potential to form a tremendous partnership with the Belgian.
Having featured predominantly on the right flank for the Turkish champions, the 23-year-old is versatile in his position in attack as he can also play through the middle as a no.8 or no.10, making him a perfect suitor for Emery’s free-flowing midfield.
Once lauded as a “top-class player” by Manchester City's title-winning boss Pep Guardiola, Emery has signed a midfield whiz in Tielemans, who has proved to be one of the league’s top creators since his arrival from Monaco in 2019.
The Belgian averaged one key pass per game for Leicester during their dire campaign, also creating as many as 10 big chances for the recently relegated outfit, via Sofascore.
His innate creative ability and eye for a pass makes him a perfect outlet for Zaniolo, who is impressive in front of goal and in link-up play, with him identified by WhoScored to be a strong dribbler of the ball.
The claims are supported by his statistics, with the midfielder scoring five goals in 10 Super Lig appearances for Galatasaray despite only starting twice, as well as recording an average of one shot on target per game, via Sofascore.
The young Italian maestro could, therefore, become a gem in Emery’s side by playing alongside a prominent presence like Tielemans, and should he stay fit could finally reach his full potential at Villa Park.