Nicolo Zaniolo is apparently preparing to sue Jose Mourinho’s Roma over his recent treatment and failed transfer deal.
The 23-year-old Italian midfielder has been on ice since the middle of January as a result of submitting a transfer request.
The star reportedly declined a transfer to Bournemouth, who instead signed Hamed Traore.
Roma was upset about losing out on the agreed-upon £26 million offer from the Cherries, which led to a backlash from irate fans.
And now, according to Il Messaggero, Zaniolo’s family has allegedly contacted attorneys in an effort to serve Roma with legal documents.
The family will reportedly claim “mobbing and psychological pressure” amid a “media bloodbath” against their kid, according to the newspaper.
In response to the public altercation, Zaniolo was reportedly pursued, received death threats, and his mother was also the target of cruel insults.
The Italian Footballers’ Association, who are there to support players when they have problems with their clubs, has also been alerted.
Zaniolo has been given permission to temporarily leave training and move 250 kilometers up Italy’s west coast to La Spezia with his parents.
The player, who has a contract with the Stadio Olimpico through 2024, is now concerned about his chances of making the Italian national team roster.
According to reports, after Zaniolo requested to leave the team, manager Jose Mourinho, president Dan Friedkin, and senior staff collectively agreed to bench him.
Ever since playing 86 minutes against Genoa on January 12th, the 11-cap international has not been included in any of the last four matchday lineups.
During that time, he was present in an unpleasant situation when Mourinho, 60, gave the captain Lorenzo Pellegrini a piece of his birthday cake when they were both in the locker room.
Before Sunday’s loss at Napoli, Mourinho was questioned about the circumstance.
The gaffer from Portugal said: “Zaniolo has been saying for a month that he wants to leave. Unfortunately, it looks like I was right.”
“I say unfortunately because the player has been saying for a month that he wants to leave.”
“If a player tells everyone he no longer wants to wear the Roma jersey, I have to say unfortunately.”
“When a player tells you, the club and his team-mates, ‘I don’t want to wear the Roma jersey, I don’t want to play, I don’t want to go back to training…’ I have to say unfortunately.”
“The ideal situation is for the player to be happy.”
“I said that I expected him to stay, but as things stand today, I have to add unfortunately to that sentence.”
Nicolo Zaniolo transferred from Inter Milan to Roma in 2018, however he has only made 128 appearances due to two consecutive ACL injuries.
He made a comeback from the second at the start of the previous campaign and scored the game-winning goal against Feyenoord in the Europa Conference League final.
Nicolo Zaniolo
Italian professional footballer Nicol Zaniolo (born 2 July 1999) plays as an offensive midfielder or winger for Serie A club Roma and the Italy national team.
With a height of 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in), Zaniolo is a tall, powerful, and quick player who can also dribble well.
He can play in a variety of midfield positions, including attacking midfielder or “trequartista,” offensive-minded center midfielder or “mezzala,” box-to-box midfielder, and even deep-lying playmaker.
This versatility comes from his creativity, technique, work rate, energy, and physicality.
Due to his ability to score goals, set up opportunities for teammates, give breadth, and provide an attacking danger with his long-range hitting prowess and propensity for making late runs, he can even play out on the flanks.
He is regarded as one of Italy’s and Europe’s most promising young talents and a talented player.
