Roma’s “most hated” player close to new club. A surprising direction

Nicolo Zaniolo was due to leave Roma in January this year. The Italian striker was sought by, among others, Bournemouth, which offered over 30 million euros. At first, Nicolo Zaniolo turned down the offer, but the closer the transfer window got to the end, the more he insisted on a move to England. Ultimately, the move was not finalized and the Italian was removed from the squad by Jose Mourinho. In addition, the footballer’s life was made difficult by fans who hung an offensive banner and called him a traitor. “I was terrified because this had never happened to me before.”

Media: Nicolo Zaniolo is getting closer to leaving Roma. He will continue his career in Turkey

. The Turkish league leader is ready to pay around 22-23 million euros and the clubs are finalizing the details of the transfer. Galatasaray reached an agreement with Zaniolo on the terms of the contract and agreed to a buyout clause of 35 million euros, valid from this summer. The Italian striker is expected to earn €3.6m per season. Romano adds that Zaniolo is due to appear in Istanbul on Tuesday, February 7 for medical tests.

Earlier, Fenerbahce Istanbul were still in the game to sign Nicolo Zaniolo, but Galatasaray outbid their offer. Buying the Italian for over 20 million euros also means breaking the transfer record by the leader of the Turkish league. So far, Galatasaray paid the most for Brazilian Jardel in August 2001 – 17 million euros to be precise. Nicolo Zaniolo will play in Galatasaray with several players with a past in Serie A – incl. with Dries Mertens, Lucas Torreira, Mauro Icardi and Sergio Oliveira.

Nicolo Zaniolo joined Roma in July 2018 for €4.5m from Inter Milan as part of a deal for Radja Nainggolan. Since then, the Italian striker has made over 125 appearances, scoring 24 goals and providing 18 assists. Originally, Zaniolo’s contract with the club from the Italian capital was valid until the end of June 2024. Galatasaray Istanbul leads the Turkish league with 54 points after 22 games and is nine points ahead of second-placed Fenerbahce.