{"id":558264,"date":"2020-07-16T14:06:01","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T18:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=558264"},"modified":"2020-07-16T14:06:01","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T18:06:01","slug":"could-nicolo-zaniolo-be-on-his-way-out-at-as-roma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/07\/16\/could-nicolo-zaniolo-be-on-his-way-out-at-as-roma\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Nicol\u00f2 Zaniolo be on His Way Out at AS Roma?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wonderkid Nicol\u00f2 Zaniolo<\/a> could be on his way out at AS Roma. The young Italian international had already caught the eyes of other clubs<\/a> but had reportedly stated back in May of 2019 that he was happy at Roma and wanted to stay for the four years left on his contract<\/a>. An ACL injury and a disappointing season for the club later, and things have changed.<\/p>\n

Could Nicol\u00f2 Zaniolo be on His Way Out at AS Roma?<\/h2>\n

Roma in a Difficult Position<\/h3>\n

Roma have become more and more a selling club in the last few years. Long gone are the days of Francesco Totti<\/a> and one-club players. Nowadays the emphasis is on profit, with big sales like Alisson<\/a>,\u00a0Mohamed Salah<\/a> and\u00a0Kostas Manolas<\/a>, who were at the time arguably the club’s best assets. AS Roma are in debt and talks of a takeover are nearly off the table<\/a>. Unless a miracle happens, they have failed to qualify for the Champions League for the second season in a row.<\/p>\n

The club is also in somewhat of a crisis. Just a few weeks ago, they announced their separation with sporting director Gianluca Petrachi<\/a> for reasons unknown to the public. It has been speculated that it came from a disagreement with owner James Pallotta about future signings, but this information was not confirmed nor denied by AS Roma. This month, Roma and Nike have severed their ties prematurely<\/a>. On top of that, in the last press conference, manager Paolo Fonseca told Sky Sports Italia’s mics that he was disappointed by Zaniolo’s latest performance<\/a>, as he felt he didn’t help the team and had a poor attitude.<\/p>\n

This puts Roma in an uncomfortable place, as they might be forced to sell their star. Many prestigious clubs are knocking at Roma’s door with a lot of money for Zaniolo. All these factors could point to an early exit for the youngster.<\/p>\n

Who is Interested?<\/h3>\n

The four front runners for this transfer are Tottenham Hotspur,<\/a> Real Madrid, Inter Milan and, of course, Juventus. Zaniolo came to Roma as part of the transfer deal that sent Radja Nainggolan to Inter in 2018<\/a>. Coincidently, the youngster made his debut against Real Madrid, in a Champions League group stage fixture.<\/p>\n

When great prospects burst unto the scene, Juventus are never far behind and have shown interest in Zaniolo for a few years now. Zaniolo might want a change of scenery and join Jose Mourinho’s men in London for a taste of the Premier League.<\/p>\n

Reportedly, Roma would be open to selling Zaniolo for over \u20ac50 million<\/a>. However, the club has yet to make an official statement about a potential transfer for Zaniolo. Their public position is still that Zaniolo is a crucial piece for the team and he will not be sold. The native of Massa has appeared 64 times for Roma, netting 13 goals and five assists<\/a>. Against Porto, he became the youngest Italian in the history of the Champions League to net a brace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>