Roma CEO Tiago Pinto did not commit to Nicolò Zaniolo staying put next summer. The attacker is under contract until 2024 and is in talks to extend it. It is the top priority for the Giallorossi now. However, even they got it done, it would not completely rule out his departure, Alfredo Pedullà reports.
A new deal would massively impact his future price tag, though. The 22-year-old makes €2.5M per year and is in line for a pay bump. If things stayed as is, his team could not ask for more than €40M in a prospective sale. On the other hand, pushing the end date to 2026 would automatically tack on at least €20M to his evaluation. It would make his exit significantly more unlikely, the transfer market expert adds.
A journalist directly asked Pinto whether Zaniolo would still be at Roma in 2022-2023 in a presser yesterday: “I can not make that guarantee about him or any other player. Clearly, this is still football, and there are also individual interests at play. Right now is not the moment to be talking about renewals or the summer transfer window.”
According to Pedullà, Juventus are the biggest threat to the Giallorossi. They want to add more high-profile Italian players after Federico Chiesa and Manuel Locatelli. Their former director Fabio Paratici, now at Tottenham, is a big fan of the player too. The Bianconeri and the Spurs are hoping Roma and Zaniolo do not strike a deal to go after him with serious ammunition in the summer.