In a recent interview (via Fabrizio Romano), Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo, who has a €35m release clause, has offered an update on his future at Galatasaray. When quizzed about his €35m release clause, the former Serie A attacker said,
“I can’t guarantee that I will stay in Turkey for 5 years. I had Gala and Bournemouth as options in January.
“Fenerbahçe wanted me too, but I gave my word to Galatasaray – the stadium here is amazing”
Zaniolo on €35m release clause: “I can’t guarantee that I will stay in Turkey for 5 years. I had Gala and Bournemouth as options in January” 🇮🇹🇹🇷 #transfers
“Fenerbahçe wanted me too, but I gave my word to Galatasaray – the stadium here is amazing”, tella Gazzetta dello Sport. pic.twitter.com/A6Oo7dagdZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 26, 2023
Zaniolo’s Form In Italy And Turkey This Season
The 23-year-old was having an impressive campaign at AS Roma before his big move to Galatasaray during the last winter transfer window. Zaniolo has found the back of the net three times and secured three assists in 19 matches this season across all competitions.
The Massa-born talent has caught the eye with a couple of decent performances off the bench for Galatasaray as he is averaging 1.5 shots, 0.5 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Turkish Super Lig. He has also been excellent when distributing possession deep inside the opponent’s half after completing 89.7% of his attempted passes in the top tier of Turkish football (stats via whoscored).
Zaniolo is primarily an attacking midfielder but can also function as a secondary striker or as a centre-forward up top if asked to do so.
Nicolo Zaniolo: Early Life
Zaniolo was born in Massa, Italy and joined Genoa’s youth academy at a young age. He went on to seal a move to Fiorentina soon after when he was just a teenager.
In 2017, the Italian sensation sealed a dream move to Inter Milan but things didn’t work out for him at the Serie A club as he was shipped off to AS Roma a year later. He proved his worth as a reliable performer at the Stadio Olimpico.
Galatasaray decided to take a chance on him last January. However, there are some concerns over his long-term future at the Turkish club. Even though Zaniolo is under contract at the Nef Stadium until the summer of 2027, it is quite likely that he will leave sooner, especially if a top club decide to meet his €35m release clause.
The Italian talent has also revealed that he is not planning to stay for the duration of his contract which won’t go down well with the Turkish club’s fans.
