Juventus and Tottenham are set to battle it out for the signature of Roma’s Nicolo Zaniolo, according to reports.
Both sides have had productive transfer windows so far, but want to finish with a flourish by adding the Italy international to their ranks.
That’s according to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, who claim that both clubs are one step ahead of the rest, as their respective sporting directors met Roma counterpart Tiago Pinto in Milan at the end of June.
Roma’s recent addition of Paulo Dybala on a free transfer could tempt them into a sale, as they are now well-stocked in attack and could cash in on Zaniolo to help balance the books and fund moves to strengthen other parts of the squad.
The capital club aren’t interested in swap deals, but they would be open to other solutions, such as a loan with the obligation to buy.
However, Juve will need to sell before they buy, and getting rid of the likes of Arthur Melo and Aaron Ramsey is a priority.
The Old Lady have had an eye-catching transfer window so far, bringing in Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba on free transfers and securing the signing of sought-after defender Bremer from rivals Torino for a reported €50m.
Spurs have been very active too, with Antonio Conte adding Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Djed Spence, Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Clement Lenglet so far.
The addition of Zaniolo, who can play across the forward line and scored eight goals in all competitions for Roma last season, would be a major boost ahead of Spurs’ return to the Champions League next season.
