Fenerbahce are reportedly looking to beat Galatasaray for the signing of Nicolo Zaniolo, who only last week looked set to join Tottenham before the January transfer window deadline.
According to journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Fenerbahce are making a move of their own to sign the Italian international after it was reported over the weekend that Galatasaray had reached an agreement to sign Zaniolo, with Fener willing to make a bigger and better offer than their Turkish rivals.
As per the report, Fenerbahce have until Wednesday to finalise a deal to sign the AS Roma ‘magician’, who only one week ago looked almost certain to join Tottenham, with Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici pushing hard to sign the 23-year-old attacker.
Fellow journalist Rudy Galetti had claimed that terms had been agreed on between Zaniolo and Tottenham. However, with a deal for Pedro Porro taking priority for the north London side, Spurs missed out on the chance to bring the versatile forward to the Premier League.
Indeed, Zaniolo would have been an ideal signing for Tottenham given how strongly linked the Italian has been with Conte’s side. However, it now looks like one of Fenerbahce or Galatasaray will now win the race to sign the 23-year-old in what could be one of the more surprising deals of the winter window.
Whilst both clubs are doing well this season, few would have predicted Zaniolo to sign for a Turkish club, with Fenerbahce now looking to best Galatasaray’s recent offer for the Roma star in the final two days of the Turkish winter market.
Zaniolo signing for Fenerbahce or Galatasaray would be quite the shock
Zaniolo is often regarded as one of the best prospects in Italy and a talent who has the potential to become a genuine superstar in the footballing world. Which is why the latest saga surrounding the forward and his potential move to Turkey would come as such a shock for many.
As we know, Zaniolo has all the talent in the world to succeed with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. And whilst a season in Turkey could be beneficial away from the Italian media, there’s no denying that the attacker signing for a Fenerbahce or Galatasaray would come as a major shock to many.
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