Zaniolo’s Roma future remains a mystery: Tottenham swap deal for Nicolo Zaniolo ‘rejected’

With under a month until the Serie A season gets underway, Nicolo Zaniolo’s future with Roma is reportedly far from clear. It was reported that Antonio Conte’s offer to swap deal for the 23-year-old was turned down by Roma.

There are reports on how the preseason goals scored so far, wearing the armband in those friendlies and the arrival of Paulo Dybala has given new impetus to the idea of keeping Zaniolo for at least another season, but whether he will stay remains unknown.

Zaniolo was a key player for Roma last season and has caught the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

However Roma will not lower their €50m asking price for Nicolo Zaniolo and his favored destination is Juventus rather than Hotspurs, so there are speculations that he could extend his contract after all.

The 23-year-old is under contract until June 2024 at the Stadio Olimpico and Inter are owed 15 percent of any sell-on fee as part of the original €4.5m transfer in 2018.

Spurs are interested in signing him but Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur had seen an offer worth £29m plus ownership of Wales international defender Joe Rodon rejected.

Among them, Juventus are the team at the center of Zaniolo’s thoughts, but the Bianconeri have already welcomed Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria and Gleison Bremer so far. La Vecchia Signora were confident of finalising a deal for Zaniolo last week, but their offer of a loan swap which included midfield outcast Arthur Melo has been declined by the capital club.

The creative midfielder scored six goals in Roma’s successful UEFA Europa Conference League campaign last season, including the winner in the final. The 2021/22 campaign was Zaniolo’s first full one since a second anterior ligament injury.

In the last few hours, the hypothesis of a renewal of his contract with Roma has emerged, but the fact his deal runs until 2024 means Roma are in the position of not necessarily having to address the issue in this transfer window.

Roma director Tiago Pinto could evaluate the margins of a potential extension, either for a long-term future together or more likely to guarantee more leverage in negotiations in the following transfer windows, when Italian clubs like Milan could come knocking.