With his Aston Villa future uncertain, speculation is starting to ramp up about a man who has started only seven Premier League games for Unai Emery this season.
The man himself only fuelled those rumours this week too, doing what many a struggling player tends to do when they find themselves out of the starting XI and with the transfer window approaching.
Nicolo Zaniolo, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, admitted that he is feeling a little homesick for Serie A, and would be open to the idea of another spell in Italy.
Whether there are any clubs willing to take a punt on a man who’s reputation has been left battered and bruised by a series of injuries – he suffered not one but two cruciate ligament tears at Roma – remains to be seen.
AC Milan have been linked in some quarters, even if Zaniolo insists that he has heard nothing from his agent regarding a potential switch to San Siro.
Nicolo Zaniolo could return to Italy
Another man who also spent much of his youth at the Stadio Olimpico feels that the Rossoneri may be a rather fitting destination, meanwhile. This is, after all, Milan side who have made quite a reputation for themselves as a go-to destination for players in need of a fresh start, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic may attest.
“I would see Zaniolo (doing) well at Milan, for the way he plays now,” Stefano Impallomeni tells Tuttomercatoweb. “He has qualities that few have. He has strength, physicality…
“If he gets things right, he still has time to blossom definitively. He needs to find a guide, someone who teaches him how express this desire in a continuous manner.”
Zaniolo has a £19 million option-to-buy clause in his Aston Villa contract. Despite scoring an equaliser against West Ham United last time out, however, the Galatasaray-owned forward has struggled to convince either as a winger or as one of the number eights in Emery’s hard-running midfield.
Future uncertain for two Aston Villa men
It is easy to forget, however, that Zaniolo is still only 24 and has plenty of time left to fulfil the potential that had some labelling him the greatest Italian talent of his generation during those early days at Roma.
One Aston Villa player already in Italy is Leander Dendoncker. A permanent move to Napoli looks unlikely, however, after the man who brought him to the Partenopei – Walter Mazzarri – was sacked in February.
“Finishing Serie A in the best possible way is his immediate objective. Then, we will talk to the club at end of the season, and we’ll see if there are the conditions to continue,” Dendoncker’s agent says.
“The change of coach inevitably influenced Dendoncker’s playing time because, now, the coach who wanted him is not coaching Napoli.”
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