Aston Villa loanee Nicolo Zaniolo wants to join a Serie A club this summer, sources have told Football Insider.
Villa have decided to not trigger the €27million (£23.2million) option-to-buy clause in the Italian international’s loan agreement after he joined the club last summer.
The 24-year-old is now expected to return to Galatasaray, where his contract is set to run until 2027.
But Zaniolo could leave the Turkish club again after telling friends he wants to return to Italy this summer.
A well-placed source previously told Football Insider Villa Park chiefs were worried about his recent and historical injury concerns, prompting them to not pursue a permanent deal.
Nicolo Zaniolo to exit Aston Villa after loan disappointment
It’s been a largely disappointing loan spell for Zaniolo after he’s failed to nail down a regular place in the Villa side.
Although the Italian has made 39 appearances this season, he’s only started 13 games for the club.
It was regarded as quite the coup when the Villans landed the attacker on a season-long loan deal following his previous exploits with Roma and Galatasaray.
The agreement reportedly included a “conditional compulsory purchase option” if certain clauses were met, but it appears as though that hasn’t been the case.
Zaniolo hasn’t been named in Unai Emery’s squad for any of the past three Premier League games despite coming off the bench as a late substitute in the 4-2 defeat against Olympiakos on 2 May.
It’s now expected he will return to Galatasaray before pushing for a switch back to Italy this summer.
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