Report: Roma star admired by Conte and Spurs could be sacrificed by Mourinho

Roma could be forced to sacrifice star forward and alleged Tottenham target Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Calciomercato.

The 22-year-old has been a long-term target for Tottenham with interest being reported as far as two seasons ago.

However, an anterior cruciate ligament injury last September ruled him out of action for the majority of the campaign and stunted his progression.

Since then, Zaniolo has struggled to generate much going forward, and is currently sitting on just one goal and one assist in 16 appearances in Serie A this term.

However, that apparently has not put Tottenham off, with Calciomercato claiming Antonio Conte remains keen on the winger.

The report states that the Spurs boss has already made an enquiry to Roma, but has been knocked back with the Giallorossi suggesting a move would have to wait until the summer.

It adds that a move to the Premier League at the end of the season could be on the cards for Zaniolo, with Mourinho even suggesting the Italian should make the move to England due to Serie A referees not protecting him enough on the back of two major knee injuries.

Zaniolo has also been said to be unhappy with his current role in the Roma side under Mourinho, with rumours of a training ground bust-up emerging last month.

Spurs Web Opinion

Zaniolo has been on the Spurs radar for a decent amount of time now, but the two big knee injuries have put quite a few clubs off him. He is young and has a huge chunk of his career left, but it could be risky given that another big injury could be just around the corner.

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