Galatasaray man Nicolò Zaniolo is reportedly stalling Villarreal because he would prefer a return to Italy, with Atalanta the latest candidates along with Fiorentina and Juventus.
The player has just returned to Turkey after a fruitless loan spell with Aston Villa, where he barely played and sustained a metatarsal fracture that ruled him out of Italy’s participation in EURO 2024.
Another loan with option to buy is expected and Villarreal had seemed to be the club most interested in making an offer.
Zaniolo seeking Italy move
However, Sportitalia transfer pundit Alfredo Pedullà warns that he is not particularly intrigued by the idea of Villarreal and would much prefer a return to Italy instead.
Fiorentina had made an approach in January, but things have changed with new coach Raffaele Palladino, while Juventus are another potential option.
The latest candidates in for Zaniolo are Atalanta, who qualified for the Champions League after winning the Europa League and finishing fourth in Serie A.
It could well depend on whether Teun Koopmeiners leaves for Juventus or Liverpool, plus the negotiations to get a discount off Milan for Charles De Ketelaere.
This is a good move. Gasperini can mold him into a Koop-style position, which has always made more sense for him, given his skillset and questionable finishing. I’m still not ready to write him off entirely, but he needs to dramatically change his game if he wants to salvage a top-level career.
Gasparini would be perfect for him