Tottenham Hotspur are dreaming of signing Galatasaray's Nicolo Zaniolo, who could be on the move this summer, according to recent reports from Italy.
Which midfielders could Tottenham sign?
Tottenham have their eye on a new attacking midfielder this summer, having now opened talks with Leicester City's James Maddison, with Ange Postecoglou giving the green light to make a move for the England international.
Sporting CP's Pedro Goncalves has also been linked with a move to north London, while Postecoglou could look to raid his former club for Celtic's Reo Hatate, who he signed for the Hoops back in December 2021.
Zaniolo told AS Roma he wanted to leave back in January, amid interest from Spurs, however after signing for Galatasaray for an initial €16.5m (£14.1m), the Italian could already be on the move again this summer.
According to a report from TuttoJuve (via Sport Witness), the Lilywhites are battling Aston Villa for the 23-year-old, and he has an offer on the table from the Premier League, although it is not specified which club has made a bid.
The midfielder has a €35m (£30m) release clause included in his contract, and the interested clubs will have to work out whether they are willing to match that, or they may try and persuade Galatasaray to do another deal.
AC Milan and Juventus would like to propose a loan move, or potentially a swap deal, however the price tag is unlikely to pose as much of an issue for Tottenham.
Is Nicolo Zaniolo leaving Galatasaray?
Although he has only been a Galatasaray player for a matter of months, and he is contracted until 2027, the release clause in the Italy international's contract means he could be on the move this summer, if the interested clubs are willing to shell out £30m.
Since making the move to Turkey, the former Roma man has been very impressive, scoring five goals in ten Super Lig games, however he did not perform quite as well for his previous club prior to his departure.
With an average WhoScored match rating of just 6.21, the maestro was ranked among the worst-performing players for Roma in the Serie A last season, registering just one goal contribution in 13 games.
Zaniolo's performances in Turkey indicate that he clearly has quality, however his failure to produce in Italy this season should be a worry for Postecoglou, as it suggests he may not be ready to make the step up to the Premier League.
