Tottenham showed a “concrete interest” in signing Nicolo Zaniolo this summer, according to the Roma starlet’s agent.
Zaniolo was linked with Spurs a number of times throughout the transfer window, particularly by the Italian press. In July, one report claimed Tottenham had offered a big contract Zaniolo but were unable to agree a fee for the player with Roma.
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder scored six goals across all competitions last season and inevitably began to attract interest from elsewhere, but he ended up staying at Roma, for whom he has featured twice so far this season.
However, speaking to the Daily Mail, Zaniolo’s agent, Claudio Vigorelli, revealed Spurs were indeed interested in buying the Italian during the summer, though the Londoners decided to sign Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis instead.
“He renewed with Roma and is fine at Roma but obviously we enjoyed the great interest of Tottenham, who were the runners up in the Champions League,” Vigorelli said.
“Their concrete interest in him shows how good the boy’s season was.
“Spurs thought a lot about Nicolo before taking Lo Celso, they focused their attention on him seriously, more than any other club even beyond the Premier League.
“I can say that only Mauricio Pochettino’s club has carried out such in-depth market analysis in England.
“The boy has a mild character despite what is written and sometimes is said in Italy.”
It appears Tottenham are keen on Zaniolo, but perhaps their interest has cooled following the arrival of Lo Celso. It will be interesting to see if they go back in for him in January or next summer.
Zaniolo has five years remaining on his current contract, so he will probably prove to be quite expensive even if Roma are willing to sell.
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