Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has revealed that Nicolo Zaniolo wants to move to England amid reports that he will join Aston Villa on loan with an option to buy.
Zaniolo, 24, has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time, and it is now believed that a deal is close to being finalized.
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“Zaniolo wants to play in the Premier League and we respect that,” coach Okan Buruk told reporters after the 1-0 victory over NK Olimpia Lubiana 1-0 in the Champions League preliminary round.
“It would seem to be in the best interests of the club as well to let him go. We already have Tete and will sign other reinforcements.”
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Zaniolo did not feature in either of the two legs due to injury.
The Italian midfielder joined Galatasaray from Roma in February, but he has not been able to settle in Turkey and is keen to move to England.
Aston Villa are willing to offer Zaniolo a chance to play in the Premier League, and they have agreed a deal with Galatasaray for a loan with an option to buy.
The deal is worth €4m for the loan, and €27m for the option to buy, with easy to achieve add-ons.
Zaniolo is expected to travel to England in the coming days to undergo a medical with Aston Villa. If he passes the medical, he will sign a three-year contract with the club.
The move to Aston Villa would be a fresh start for Zaniolo, who is looking to revive his career after a difficult spell at Galatasaray.
He will be hoping to play regular football at Aston Villa and to help the club challenge for trophies.
The Giallorossi also retained a 20 per cent cut of the sell-on fee, so if Aston Villa choose to make the move permanent, they could bring in over €6m from the transfer.