AS Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has said that Nicolo Zaniolo will now not leave the club, amid speculation that Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur want to sign him, as quoted in Football Italia.
Mourinho has said that Zaniolo has been looking to leave Roma for months, but given that he does not want to join Bournemouth, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder is now set to stay.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that Zaniolo does not want to join Bournemouth despite the Cherries willing to meet Roma’s demands.
The Italian playmaker wants either Tottenham or AC Milan, but neither of them have satisfying the demands set by Roma, according to Romano.
Tottenham Hotspur target Nicolo Zaniolo to stay at AS Roma
Mourinho said:“Zaniolo has been saying for a month that he wants to leave. Unfortunately, it looks like I was right.”
The Roma boss added: “I say unfortunately, because the player has been saying for a month that he wants to leave. If a player tells everyone he no longer wants to wear the Roma jersey, I have to say unfortunately.
“The ideal situation is for the player to be happy. I said that I expected him to stay, but as things stand today, I have to add unfortunately to that sentence.”
Twist?
The January transfer window is still open now, so never say never.
You just never know.
There could be a twist coming.
Tottenham could well decide to make a late bid and make an offer to Roma that would satisfy them.
After all, based on Mourinho’s comments, it seems that Zaniolo does not want to play for Roma, so it would make sense for the Italian club to come to a compromise.
Something could give.
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