Liverpool could attempt to sign Roma forward De Rossi
Italian site calciomercato.com claim that The Reds are one of three clubs who are ‘thinking about buying’ Zaniolo this summer.
The report also claims that the 22-year-old’s contract renewal is ‘blocked’, which could lead to a sale.
Zaniolo’s current deal expires in 2024. With talks not progressing over an extension, this summer would be seen as an ideal time to sell.
The other clubs reported to be interested are Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
Who is he
Zaniolo was once seen as a potential future superstar of Italian football. He signed for Roma from Inter at 18-years-old. Having never played a competitive game for Inter, he was part of the deal that saw Radja Nainggolan move the other way.
He proved to be an immediate success in Rome. After scoring twice in their Champions League last-16 tie with Porto in 2019, Roma legend Daniele De Rossi was full of praise for his young teammate.
“He has an incredible natural physique for someone who is only 19 and also has great technical quality. In my opinion, as perhaps with everyone now, he is already a very good player – and can become a great one,” De Rossi said via asroma.com.
Usually playing off the right and cutting onto his favoured left foot, Zaniolo has the kind of attacking profile that Liverpool tend to look for.
At 6″2′, he is certainly a force to contend with when running at full speed.
However, his progress has suffered as a result of dreadful luck over the last two years. In January 2020, an ACL injury ruled him out of the rest of the season.
Having returned to action in time for the 2020/21 season, Zaniolo then suffered another ACL injury, this time to the other knee.
This ruled him out of the whole of last season, as well as Italy’s successful Euro 2020 campaign.
Should Liverpool sign him
There’s no doubt that the injuries have taken a toll on Zaniolo. Prior to 2020, he was an incredibly explosive player who looked unstoppable at times.
But the impact of those two serious knee injuries has made him look like less of a threat. He has just two goals in 19 Serie A starts for Jose Mourinho’s side this season.
Although his contract is running down, he is still held in high regard. Still just 22-years-old, there is every chance that he could return to his pre-injury days.
But for a club as risk-averse in the transfer market as Liverpool, two previous ACL injuries for a player who would probably still come at a premium is a big red flag.
Having said that, the last left-footed attacker that Liverpool signed from Roma was a chap named Mohamed Salah. That didn’t turn out too badly.
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