Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur have been keeping an eye on Roma starlet Nicola Zalewski ‘for some time’ though Jose Mourinho is determined to keep his Poland international in Serie A, according to Calciomercato.
The expectation was that, as soon as Leonardo Spinazzola recovered from the injury that kept him out of the Euro 2020 final, Roma’s Italy international would waltz straight back into Mourinho’s starting XI at the Stadio Olimpico.
Thanks to the sudden emergence of a certain fresh-faced 20-year-old, however, things haven’t been quite so simple. Nicola Zalewski has been one of Italian football’s breakthrough talents over the last 12 months or so; two-footed creative, unpredictable and lavishly talented.
And, despite having signed a contract extension until the summer of 2025, that has not stopped the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur from expressing an interest in Roma’s Tivoli-born academy graduate.
Spurs, Calciomercato say, have been watching Zalewski for ‘some time’. French champions PSG, meanwhile, enquired about the swashbuckling wing-back over the summer.
Roma hope to keep Nicola Zalewski amid Tottenham Hotspur interest
“Zalewski joined the Roma academy at 9 or 10 years old. So to see him play at this level is wonderful,” Mourinho told Sky Italia earlier in the year.
“The truth is, he has amazing technique,” adds Giallorossi director Tiago Pinto. “He has the right mentality. In my opinion he will become a great player.”
Roma, CM add, are hoping to reward Zalewski with another contract extension; one that could tie him down until 2027. It is surely no coincidence that Roma are stepping up their talks over a new deal amid rising interest from across Europe in one of the game’s most exciting young wing-backs.
Then again, keeping an eye on a player and putting plans in place for a big-money bid are two very different things. After signing another Italy-based wing-back in Destiny Udogie there is not exactly an obvious place for Zalewski in North London right now. That’s without mentioning Ivan Perisic too. Or, for that matter, the ever-improving Ryan Sessegnon.
This, then, may be a deal Spurs place on the backburner for the time being.
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