Roma winger Nicolo Zaniolo is reportedly not keen on a move to the Premier League following a bid from Newcastle United.
According to Italian outlet Sky Sport, Zaniolo is on the move and will depart the Stadio Olimpico this summer, However, the Magpies are said to have had a bid rejected for the Italian international and instead, Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus are both in the hunt for him in this summer’s window, with Zaniolo not said to be willing to move to England.
Zaniolo joined Roma from Inter four years ago and since his arrival, has scored 22 times in 111 appearances in all competitions for Jose Mourinho ’s side, helping them to win the Europa Conference League last season and qualify for the Europa League.
Sky Sport report: “Zaniolo is leaving Roma, he is the player that will finance Roma’s transfer market. There was a rejected bid from Newcastle he doesn’t want to go to the Premier League. Milan and Juventus have started the first approaches for the Italian winger.”
Zaniolo has spent four seasons with Roma and while he was a regular in his first two seasons and the 2021/22 campaign, but missed the duration of the 2020/21 campaign following an anterior cruciate ligament injury, having suffered the injury in September 2020, just eight months after first suffering from the issue in January 2020.
In Roma’s Europa Conference League winning campaign, Zaniolo scored eight times in 42 appearances, with six of those goals coming in the Europa Conference League.
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Primarily a right winger, Zaniolo can also play as both an attacking midfielder and as a second striker and has scored twice for his country since making his debut in 2019, playing nine times for the Azzurri.
Newcastle are once again expected to spend big this summer as they look to climb up the table as they did in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.
While a move for Zaniolo is expected to be off the cards, they have been heavily linked with a number of big names. Newcastle are believed to be close to signing Stade de Reims striker Hugo Ekitike for a fee worth £36m.
The French Under-20s international is said to have snubbed interest from Borussia Dortmund to complete a move to St James’ Park, with Newcastle struggling for goals last season.
Callum Wilson ended the 2021/22 campaign as Eddie Howe’s side’s top scorer in England’s top-flight. However, Howe’s former Bournemouth colleague managed only eight league goals, having missed over half of the campaign through injury.
Manchester City ’s Nathan Ake and Barcelona forward Memphis Depay have both also been touted as potential Newcastle targets, as has Burnley defender James Tarkowski.
