Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho could be eyeing up an audacious swoop to bolster his midfield armoury this summer, according to emerging reports.
What’s the word?
La Repubblica, via Sport Witness, claim that the Portuguese chief wants AS Roma playmaker Nicolo Zaniolo at the club next season.
It’s also suggested that the 21-year-old’s relationship with his manager, Paulo Fonseca, is strained and that there’s an uphill battle faced in terms of reconciliation.
Whilst the Serie A outfit are seemingly unwilling to sell their midfield maestro, they have slapped a whopping €70-80m (£65-72m) price tag on Zaniolo’s back with league rivals Inter Milan and Juventus also keen on signing him.
Mourinho’s midfield talisman
The Italian international is one of the most exciting advanced midfielders in the game right now having provided seven goals and three assists whilst averaging 2.3 dribbles, 1.7 shots and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.
His performances for Roma have drawn high praise indeed.
Club legend Francesco Totti claimed that Zaniolo “has explosive strength and technique, and everything it takes to become a truly great player” whilst his former coach at Inter, Stefano Vecchi, likened him to Steven Gerrard and Mourinho’s ex-talisman Frank Lampard.
“He will go places. He has the characteristics to become a modern mezzala. He’s a [Steven] Gerrard, [Frank] Lampard-type player.”
Spurs hardly need any more attacking options, but a chance to sign his next Lampard should surely be too tempting to refuse.
Christian Eriksen’s void is still felt in north London with Giovani Lo Celso only managing to muster up one assist all season in the Premier League.
Zaniolo may come at a premium, but that’s somewhat the going-rate for a player who’s undoubtedly a generational talent.
And in other news, Paul Merson’s Spurs comments were instantly proven to be a mockery at the weekend…