Nicolo Zaniolo transfer verdict shared at Aston Villa amid ‘massive’ news
Don Goodman believes the decision as to whether Aston Villa should sign Nicolo Zaniolo permanently will effectively come down to his valuation.
Zaniolo arrived at Villa Park on a season-long loan from Galatasaray in the summer transfer window as cover for the injured Emi Buendia.
The Italy international has been used mainly as a substitute this season, but he has played his own part in a memorable campaign for Villa.
Asked if the Villans should consider signing Zaniolo on a full-time basis, Goodman told Villa News: “It depends on the price. He hasn’t been a regular starter for Aston Villa, albeit he’s found a bit of form in recent games which is good.
“But are you going to pay a massive transfer fee for somebody who hasn’t been able to break into the side on a regular basis? He’s only recently showing glimpses of what he is capable of.
“I think Villa will assess where they are at the end of the season, Zaniolo’s form over the course of the season, and then either decide the potential is massive and we can continue to raise his level, or they’ll decide that he hasn’t hit the heights we’d have hoped and move on to other targets.”
How much will Nicolo Zaniolo cost Aston Villa?
Incredibly, seven months before Zaniolo arrived at Villa Park, Sky Sports reported that then-club Roma wanted £35million from Tottenham.
Zaniolo moved to Galatasaray instead and, thanks to sporting director Monchi’s links with the player, he was able to bring him to the Midlands.
Villa were said to have paid around £4.3m to sign the attacker on loan, with the possibility of a further £19.3m payment if certain criteria were met.
Those various boxes are not believed to have been ticked, but it gives an indication of what Galatasaray are after for Zaniolo in the summer.
The 24-year-old has not exactly torn up the Premier League, scoring just two goals and assisting none, but he has looked very good at times.
Indeed, in the recent 2-0 win at Arsenal, he neither scored nor assisted but was superb on the day with his movement and discipline.
If Villa do make it into the Champions League, though, you have to imagine there will be better alternatives out there this summer.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery could still quit Villa Park next year as a “danger” warning has been sent.
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