Zaniolo s Galatasaray twist: Loan spells end, future now a riddle

Nicolò Zaniolo remains a Galatasaray player, at least for now. The 1999-born midfielder was not permanently signed by Fiorentina, where he spent the latter half of last season on loan, and has returned to Turkey. His future, however, is far from certain. After two seasons spent on loan between the Premier League and Serie A, the Sarı-Kırmızılı club has decided to assess him closely during pre-season before making a definitive decision.

Okan Buruk: 'An important element'

Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has publicly expressed his high regard for the former Roma player, leaving the door open for Zaniolo to remain at the club. Buruk intends to observe him closely during the current preparation period, indicating that a permanent stay is not being ruled out prematurely.

"Zaniolo is a very talented player," Buruk stated. "We want to observe him carefully during this preparation period. He is working well, everything is going in the right direction. In friendlies, he has shown positive signs in terms of discipline and understanding of the game. He is an important element for us."

Two years of loans across Europe

Galatasaray originally acquired Zaniolo from AS Roma in January 2023 for €16 million, plus €13.5 million in bonuses and an additional €2 million if he was resold for over €20 million. Since then, he has been on a whirlwind tour of loan spells, first in the Premier League with Aston Villa, and then in Serie A with Atalanta and Fiorentina.

In the 2023/24 season, he was on loan at Aston Villa, where he made 39 appearances and scored 3 goals, before returning to Turkey and then being immediately loaned to Atalanta.

No permanent move in Serie A

Atalanta brought him in on a costly loan deal of €6.4 million, with an option to buy set at €15.5 million plus €2 million in bonuses. After 23 appearances, three goals, and three assists, he moved on to another loan, this time at Fiorentina.

His stint at Fiorentina came with an obligation to buy if he played 60% of the team's matches, again for €15.5 million. However, Zaniolo only featured in 13 games for Fiorentina, meaning the obligation was not triggered, and the 1999-born player has now returned to Galatasaray with his next destination uncertain.

Where could Zaniolo go?

Given his challenging experiences at both Atalanta and Fiorentina, a return to Serie A seems unlikely for Zaniolo. A move abroad or a permanent stay at Galatasaray appear to be the more probable scenarios. A year ago, before his move to Atalanta, Villarreal had shown interest, but the deal didn't materialize, and there are currently no new developments on that front.

Possible Galatasaray stay

Selling a player of Zaniolo's profile, especially after a couple of complicated years, is not straightforward. For this reason, if he genuinely manages to impress coach Buruk during pre-season, he could very well find himself playing his cards at Galatasaray. During his only previous six months at the club, between January and June 2023, he performed well, scoring 5 goals in 12 appearances, suggesting he could thrive in Istanbul.