Tottenham, Leeds target left in sticky Roma situation, amid alarming claims over player’s future
Nicolo Zaniolo is planning to launch a legal dispute against Roma for alleged ‘psychological pressure and mobbing’ throughout the January transfer window, according to reports.
The Italian attacker had been heavily linked with a move to Bournemouth after he attempted to force through a January switch after declining a contract extension.
Zaniolo initially rejected the move to the Cherries but seemed to change his mind. However, by that point, the south coast club had already backtracked on the deal due to financial concerns.
According to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, there is a good chance that Zaniolo and his family will launch a legal battle against Roma following a turbulent month.
The report alleges that his family believe the recent ‘media massacre’ towards the attacker was ‘deliberately triggered by the club’.
After it was revealed that Zaniolo had intentions to leave Roma, the winger allegedly received death threats and was forced to call the police after angry fans turned up at his home.
Mourinho and co then permitted him to travel to La Spezia with his family for 48 hours while negotiations over a departure continued.
As a result, Zaniolo has reportedly assigned a team of lawyers to deal with the situation.
Zaniolo wanted Bournemouth move despite initial hesitation
As mentioned, Zaniolo was targeted by a number of clubs after it was made clear that he wanted to leave Roma in the January window.
For instance, Mourinho urged his former club Tottenham to take the star off his hands, while Leeds and Arsenal also considered an approach.
Ultimately though, it was Bournemouth who came closest to penning a deal for the 23-year-old, after meeting Roma’s asking price of £26.4m for Zaniolo.
The player initially refused to meet the Cherries delegation, but after mulling over the offer for a day he decided he wanted to accept their contract proposal, reported to be in the region of £4.4m a year.
Roma even arranged a private jet for Zaniolo to seal the deal, but at that point, Bournemouth had already pulled out due to financial concerns.
Despite missing out on the Italian, Bournemouth still had a very successful winter window.
On deadline day, the Cherries signed Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore as an alternative to Zaniolo, along with Ukraine international defender Illia Zabarnyi.
But as for Zaniolo, he is set to be stuck at Roma until the end of the season, despite the huge rift forming between him and the Italian giant’s supporters.
Il Messagero also claims Zaniolo may now be left out of Roma’s squads for the forthcoming future as a result.
As for the reported legal case, the Assocalciatori, who have the role of assisting players in conflict with their clubs, have been informed of the situation.
Former Sampdoria player Umberto Calcagno, who is the Assocalciatori President, is said to be following the situation with careful attention.
It’s understood that Zaniolo will wait for Tiago Pinto – Roma’s sporting director – to hold a scheduled press conference before making an official statement.
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