Nicolò Zaniolo is increasingly likely to move on from Galatasaray, as he was left out of their squad after Juventus interest and Aston Villa manager Unai Emery confirmed the Italy international is ‘on the list.’
The former Roma star only made the move to Turkey in February, because his rapport with the Giallorossi had broken down beyond all repair and no agreement could be reached with other teams before the transfer deadline.
The 24-year-old signed a contract to June 2027 and has so far scored five goals with one assist in 12 competitive games for Galatasaray, but his Turkish career could end already.
Juventus were interested in potentially bringing him back to Serie A, while Aston Villa have confirmed they are tracking Zaniolo.
“We are trying to have possibilities with different players and which players could help us. There could be one or more with the potential to come here. But now it is not 100 per cent clear who they are,” said Aston Villa coach Emery in a press conference.
“Zaniolo is not a striker. He is versatile. He can play as a striker, a number seven or a number 10 and he is one of those on our list, with the qualities he has, to help us. He is one on the list and there are others.”
Possibly as a result of those comments, Zaniolo has been left out of the Galatasaray squad for the opening game of the season against Kayserispor.
The Italian was sold for €15m plus another €10m in potential add-ons and Roma retain a 20 per cent cut of the sell-on fee.
There is a release clause in his contract believed to be set at €35m.