Roma have set their sights on resolving their crisis with Nicolò Zaniolo before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, after the winger was “not very happy” with the prospect of joining Bournemouth.
The Italy international was closely linked to Tottenham earlier this month; however Antonio Conte subsequently signed Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal as a solution to his wide attacking midfield needs.
Subsequently, Bournemouth took the lead: the team, third from bottom in the Premier League, saw Zaniolo as a player who could help them secure themselves in their first campaign in the top flight.
Reports have suggested that Roma and Bournemouth have reached an agreement on a deal for an initial £26.3m (€30m), but Zaniolo does not appear to be thrilled with the idea of joining the English south coast club.
Roma head coach José Mourinho expressed great disappointment that Zaniolo asked to leave and then stopped when the opportunity arose, stating that “unfortunately” it seems the 23-year-old will end up with the Giallorossi.
Asked about the firm’s ability to sell Zaniolo, Roma general manager Thiago Pinto said on Sunday: “I have no problem answering that question, everyone understands what happened.
“Zaniolo asked to sell, and together with the agent we found a solution. We succeeded, but now Nicolò is not very happy with the solution he found, and obviously we are all in a bit of a quandary.”
Last season, Zaniolo scored the only goal in the first European Conference League final as Roma beat Feyenoord, but his time at the Olimpico may be at an end.
22 and 327 – Nicolo Zaniolo (22 years, 327 days) became the youngest Italian player to score in a major European final since Alessandro Del Piero (22 years, 200 days) against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in May 1997. Fearless.#RomaFeyenoord pic.twitter.com/3oHQ9WwfRB
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 25, 2022
Speaking to DAZN, Pinto said that Roma would not be able to buy a player to replace Zaniolo until a deal was reached to sell the former Inter youth team player.
He is also upset that Zaniolo is delaying the transfer, and time is at a premium.
“We found this solution at the request of a player and as you know, with all the limitations we have with financial fair play, we are not exactly the kind of company that can succumb to Zaniolo’s refusal and take on other players,” he said. Pinto.
“We are always bound by these restrictions. Now we have another 48 hours, we’ll see what happens. I don’t want to dwell on this issue, it’s a really difficult situation for us.”