Aston Villa sign Italian midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo on loan from Galatasaray
Aston Villa sign Italy midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo on loan from Galatasaray. Villa will pay a £4.25 million loan fee, and there is a “conditional compulsory purchase option” in the deal.
Moreover, if specific criteria are met, they will pay £19.2 million plus £13.2 million in possible add-ons to make Zaniolo’s move permanent. Zaniolo will likely replace Villa’s Argentine midfielder Emiliano Buendia, who suffered a knee ligament injury in training earlier this month and is out for an “extended” spell.
“I’m grateful to have been a part of this beautiful family,” Zaniolo posted on Instagram. “Together we have proven that when you are united, nothing is impossible. Lions family you are now a part of my heart and I promise I’ll never forget that.”
The 24-year-old shone at AS Roma, winning the 2022 Europa Conference League before moving to Galatasaray. Zaniolo, who has 13 Italy caps, only joined Galatasaray in February and won the league title with the club in the summer.
Aston Villa sign Nicolo Zaniolo to replace Emiliano Buendia
Moreover, he is Villa’s fourth signing of the summer, and joins Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Moussa Diaby as new faces in Unai Emery’s squad.
Aston Villa are also looking to sign World Cup winner Marcos Acuna to strengthen the left-back position. The Argentine also played against Manchester City in the UEFA Super Cup. Villa’s new sporting director Monchi signed the 31-year-old for Sevilla in 2020.
Meanwhile academy graduate Arjan Raikhy has joined Leicester City. Punjabi wonderkid Raikhy was set to decide upon his future, amid interest in his services from clubs across the divisions.
Villa were beaten 5-1 by Newcastle in their opening Premier League game. Moreover, they also lost defender Tyrone Mings to a serious knee injury in that match. Villa will look to sign one or two more players in this transfer window for squad depth.
