Chelsea will have to stump up €50 million if they are to secure a transfer for AS Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo.
According to ASRomalive, AS Roma will demand to the tune of €50 million if Chelsea come calling for the Italian midfielder. The Italian international has been on the radar of several English clubs and a move next summer looks certain.
Roma received a number of proposals but they kept their calm and rejected all the advances. But the 23-year-old will enter the last year of his current contract and the club will lose more ground on the negotiations next summer.
Talks of fresh terms have already been accelerated and it is suggested the player is ready to sign on the dotted line very soon. A new five-year contract will be in place and he will join the likes of Tammy Abraham and Lorenzo Pellegrini to become the club’s highest-paid player.
Chelsea will have a busy summer as owner Todd Boehly will be needing a couple of transfer windows to bring more stability to the club. Persistent injury problems have halted Zaniolo’s progress but that doesn’t undermine the talent he possesses.
Both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will compete with Chelsea for the signature of the youngster. Spurs manager Antonio Conte is believed to be an avid admirer of the player and saw his chance in the summer foiled by the Italian club.
But he will return with renewed purpose and Chelsea might find it difficult with their intent. Should Roma manage to convince the player to extend his stay it would be a severe blow for the Blues.
With Hakim Ziyech destined to leave, Graham Potter doesn’t have many creative midfielders at his disposal and wants to make a room for another player.
Zaniolo has excelled over the years but this campaign hasn’t been that strong. He has so far returned with just one goal contribution in all competitions this season but Jose Mourinho is prepared to exuberate his confidence in the player on a regular basis.
It could be a three-horse race in the summer and it would be interesting to see how the story unfolds.
