Tottenham have reportedly been told by Roma that transfer target Nicolo Zaniolo will not be leaving the club this summer, therefore dealing a blow to Jose Mourinho.
The 21-year-old has emerged as a key figure for the Giallorossi, and although he had to come back from a serious injury last season, he appears to have a big future ahead of him for club and country.
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In turn, it’s no real surprise that there is interest in him from elsewhere, but it appears as though there is no desire from Roma’s perspective at least to entertain offers for the Italian International this summer.
It comes after the Sun reported that Tottenham had a £45m bid rejected for him already, with Mourinho seemingly still keen to strengthen his midfield and he has evidently seen the talent in Zaniolo to warrant the interest and touted bid from Spurs.
However, as per Calciomercato, the door has now been firmly shut on a potential exit from the Italian capital as it’s noted that Roma consider their prized asset as being non-transferable despite interest from Juventus and Tottenham, as they have made it clear that he is not for sale.
Further, there is also a suggestion that renewal talks could now speed up after the change of ownership at the club was completed, and so it appears as though Zaniolo’s future is very much still at Roma moving forward.
Time will tell who, if anyone, Spurs identify as a Plan B to give Mourinho more quality and depth in his midfield, but he will no doubt be eager to bring in further reinforcements where possible in the coming weeks to ensure that Tottenham are as competitive as possible ahead of the new campaign.