Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Galatasaray forward Nicolo Zaniolo, as Unai Emery bids to add star quality to his side this summer.
The Spaniard, assisted by Monchi, has already confirmed the signings of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres, with Moussa Diaby reportedly waiting in the wings to officially strike a deal with the club.
Obtaining players of such calibre is a masterful feat by Monchi, who arrived from Sevilla as president of football operations last month, however the Spaniard could hit a wall in the pursuit of Zaniolo.
Could Aston Villa sign Nicolo Zaniolo?
As reported by Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb earlier this week, the Villans are speculated to have shortlisted the winger as a target, should they fail to land Thiago Almada from Atlanta United.
The former Roma talent is said to be valued by the Turkish champions at no less than €35m (£30m), as relayed by Sport Witness last month.
After making the move from Serie A to the Super Lig in February, the Italian could be on the move again this summer, with Villa one of the clubs watching the 24-year-old.
Would Nicolo Zaniolo be good for Aston Villa?
Despite being lauded as a “savage” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Zaniolo has been forced to face a different kind of savagery so early in his career.
After suffering two anterior cruciate ligament tears in eight months, the winger was forced to be sidelined for a valuable chunk of his budding journey in football, exiting the game for the second time just two months after returning from his first long spell away.
While injuries are not under the players’ control, the harsh reality of football is that clubs are more reluctant to want to integrate an injury prone player into the side over an individual with little history of absence.
For Villa, a move for the 24-year-old could be a step backwards in their pursuit to strengthen their side, with other options available that could pose to be more suitable, and reliable at a fundamental part of their progression.
Following his transfer to Galatasaray from Roma, Zaniolo showed his worth in netting five goals in 10 league appearances, flaunting that he has the same impressive skill as he did prior to his traumatic injury woes.
There’s little surprise that a name like the former Roma gem’s has fallen onto the radar of Emery, who is a valuable player to have at his disposal, however, with the ambition the Villans are showing this window, Monchi could strike a better deal elsewhere.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Villa Park has seen a star talent with an extensive injury history poached, to little effect in the Midlands, with Philippe Coutinho arriving from Barcelona carrying a list of past niggles.
The Brazilian has missed almost 800 days worth of football to injury throughout his career, and following a rupture to his knee in Catalonia, the 31-year-old has been unable to hit the levels expected of him.
In 41 total appearances for Villa, the former Liverpool genius has netted just five times, as per Transfermarkt, in a move that hasn’t gone as smoothly as hoped for both club and player.
Monchi could risk handing the Villans a repeat of the Coutinho transfer in spending on Zaniolo, who despite his talent, possesses a history of serious injury.