Eddie Howe could now mount a charge for Italian international midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo from Galatasaray to boost Newcastle United’s Champions League hopes.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Newcastle have turned their attention to 24-year-old Italy forward Nicolo Zaniolo as an option with the report saying that Eddie Howe has undertaken “polls and information gathering” on the player.
Zaniolo very recently joined Turkish side Galatasaray, moving from Roma in February this year and going on to help the Lions claim the Super Lig title scoring five goals in his 10 outings.
Newcastle failed with an attempt to land Zaniolo in January
Newcastle had previously been linked with Zaniolo in January but had a bid rejected before he joined Galatasaray in a £17.8million deal which included a £31million release clause.
The ‘incredible‘ forward previously helped Roma to the Europa Conference League title but his form dropped when Jose Mourinho played him in an unfamiliar role which resulted in Zaniolo heading off to Turkey.
Unai Emery was also said to be keen on brining Zaniolo to Aston Villa, but having signed Moussa Diaby their interest may have cooled slightly paving the way for Newcastle to make their move.
Eddie Howe could be looking to bring in another Italian to help Tonali settle
Newcastle are still said to be looking to add more players to their ranks this summer and it would make sense for Eddie Howe to try and bring in another Italian to help Sandro Tonali settle quicker, but given that Zaniolo hasn’t been at Galatasaray for six months yet, and has done well in that time, I don’t see this one panning out.
Even if Newcastle were to activate the release clause for Zaniolo, would he actually want to up sticks and move again so soon?
Don’t get me wrong, Newcastle will be seen as a more exciting prospect, and linking up with Tonali could sway his decision, but it all feels a bit too sudden, plus he has already turned us down once.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
