Aston Villa to make bold move for Barcelona target with £30 million release clause - Reports
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Aston Villa are considering a move for Barcelona target Nicolo Zaniolo, who currently plays for Turkish club Galatasaray.
Zaniolo completed a shock move to the Turkish club from AS Roma in the 2023 winter transfer window and has since made 12 appearances for the club, scoring five goals and providing one assist.
The Italian forward has emerged as a transfer target for several clubs, including the likes of Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen. Barcelona are also keeping tabs on the 24-year-old as the Blaugrana are exploring the market for Ousmane Dembele's replacement, who is set to complete a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Zaniolo is contracted with Galatasaray until the end of the 2026-27 season and reportedly has a £30 million release clause in his contract. The aforementioned report also stated that Zaniolo's representatives have met with Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab regarding a financially lucrative proposal.
The player was considered among the most technically gifted youngsters in the world during his time in Serie A but hasn't yet been able to realise his potential due to recurring injuries. He played 128 matches for AS Roma, scoring 24 goals and providing 18 assists.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke about the Saudi Pro League
Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December 2022, the Saudi Pro League has been taking huge strides in the footballing world. Top players like Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Sadio Mane, and others have joined the league in recent months.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta, however, provided a straightforward response when asked about the SPL. Laporta thinks that the players' motives behind joining the league aren't related to the sport. He said (via Barca Universal):
“When a player, and with all due respect, prefers to go to Saudi Arabia, basically there are no sporting reasons. You know, there are other reasons that are the priority. And the football must be the priority – the sporting reasons must be the priority."
Laporta added:
"I respect the decisions of the Saudi government that, you know, incorporate talented players. Football is a team sport. Of course, the talented players help us to promote this sport and to make the fans happy because the talent is the talent, but … the team is the priority.”
The Saudi Pro League clubs are offering players financially lucrative contracts that are difficult to match even for top European clubs like Barcelona. Hence, superstar names like Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, and more are moving to the Middle-Eastern country.