Tottenham will step up their pursuit of Nicolo Zaniolo as they look to pip Juventus to the signing

Tottenham are looking to push forward in their pursuit of Roma’s attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, according to reports. 

Antonio Conte will have a chance to get a closer look at his target on Saturday when his side face former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho’s Roma in a pre-season friendly as both sides draw closer to the end of their summer preparations.

But Conte will know that his side are under pressure to finalise a deal soon, with Juventus strong suitors for the Italian’s signature, and will hope that director Fabio Paratici can thrash out a deal with his Giallorossi counterpart Tiago Pinto when the sides meet in Israel. 

Nicolo Zaniolo has an opportunity to impress Tottenham boss Antonio Conte in a pre-season friendly on Saturday in Israel 

Italian publication Tuttosport are reporting that although the summit in Haifa will not prove to be decisive, it is indicative of Spurs’ intent.  

Both Conte and Paratici are thought to be masterminding the move, having spent time together monitoring the player at Juve. 

And reports in Italy are suggesting that Spurs have already had a £25million-plus-Joe Rodon offer rejected by the Romans for Zaniolo’s services. 

 Conte is still looking to add to his Tottenham squad in an already busy transfer window

And the Turin club will not be put off by Tottenham’s interest in the player, given that Zaniolo has already made it clear that he would prefer to stay in Italy, so Paratici still has it all to do if he is to lure the player to the Premier League. 

And Sporting director Federico Cherubini has already met with Pinto in June to discuss a potential loan move with an initial fee of £8.4m, followed by an obligatory fee of £25m-£33m.

A loan exchange with Juve’s Arthur has also been discussed, with the Old Lady keen to remove his wages from their accounts. 

Zaniolo has scored 22 goals and 15 assists in 111 games for Roma since debuting in 2018

Juventus have completed deals in that way successfully in the past, so Tottenham may be up against it.

Zaniolo has scored 22 goals in 111 games for Roma since his debut in 2018, and although he has been a regular in Jose Mourinho’s side, his role may be adjusted with the arrival of Paulo Dybala.

New contract negotiations for the Italian international have stalled in recent weeks, and with two years remaining on his current deal, it is looking increasingly likely that the European Conference Champions will look to cash in on him this summer.