Nicolo Zaniolo has departed Roma for Galatasaray with the Italian making his desire to leave the club clear during January.
According to The Mirror, Zaniolo’s request to move on from Rome came late in January despite Mourinho’s insistence that the 23-year old would remain at the club for the rest of the season.
Bournemouth and Tottenham were linked with moves for the player according to Sky Sports, with the former reportedly agreeing personal terms but Galatasaray swooped in to secure a deal and put to bed a tiresome saga between Zaniolo and Mourinho.
Last month, Mourinho stated: “I say ‘unfortunately’ because the player has been saying for a month that he wants to leave. If a player tells everyone he no longer wants to wear the Roma jersey, I have to say ‘unfortunately’.
“The ideal situation is for the player to be happy. I said that I expected him to stay, but as things stand today, I have to add ‘unfortunately’ to that sentence.”
The Young Player of Serie A in 2018/19, Zaniolo ends his Roma career with 24 in 128 games and makes the switch to Galatasaray who are sitting pretty at the top of the Turkish Super Lig by nine points as the club search for their first league title since 2019 and their 23rd overall.