According to Italian publication Leggo (h/t Express), Manchester United are pushing hard to secure the signing of AS Roma sensation Nicolo Zaniolo. The Giallorossi are reluctant to offload the youngster but could consider a sale if an offer of £53m comes along.
Zaniolo started out at the Genoa academy, before making the switch to Fiorentina’s youth setup. Having risen to the U17s with the Viola, the attacking midfielder made the switch to Entella, linking up with their U19 side in 2016. Inter Milan then signed him up a year later.
The 20-year-old shined brightly for the Inter Primavera side, bagging 14 goals and 9 assists in 29 games before Roma signed him up in 2018. Since joining the capital club, Zaniolo has made 60 appearances, scoring 12 goals and assisting 5 more.
Juan Mata turned 32 years old last month, whereas Jesse Lingard has failed to make any sort of meaningful contribution to the side for over a year now. The Manchester United academy graduate hasn’t scored a single Premier League goal since December 2018.
Hence, Manchester United should look for a player to supplement Fernandes and add more quality depth to the attacking midfield position. This is where Zaniolo would enter the picture. The 20-year-old, in his first season with Roma (2018/19), produced a return of 6 goals and 3 assists in 36 matches across all competitions.
In the ongoing term, Zaniolo looked set to better that tally, as he had scored six and assisted two more in just 24 matches. However, a cruciate ligament rupture in January ended his season prematurely.
His form at club level was rewarded by a call-up to the Italian national team in March last year. He has made five appearances for the Azzurri, bagging two goals in the process. All this is evidence enough of the promise and potential that the 20-year-old Zaniolo possesses. Hence, Manchester United should look to recruit him to add more quality and creativity to the squad.
The Italian has shown his potential with Roma and the national team so far. Should he carry forward the same form, he would be a good addition for Manchester United.
His signing would provide the Red Devils with more depth and quality in the attacking midfield position. Especially with Mata not getting any younger and Lingard struggling.
