Anthony Onifade

Tue 31 January 2023 15:40, UK

AFC Bournemouth’s owners have blocked a move for Leeds United target Nicolo Zaniolo because “too many had been spent on other operations”, after the Italian accepted to join them, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

According to Di Marzio, reporting on 30 January, the Whites had made a bid to sign the 23-year-old forward on loan which was rejected by Roma.

The Serie A giants are said to be insistent that they would like an outright obligation in the deal, with Zaniolo open to a move to West Yorkshire, but he’s been courted by other Premier League rivals according to reports.

Reliable journalist Di Marzio, taking to his personal Twitter account [31 January] has intriguingly revealed that Bournemouth have rejected the chance to sign the 23-year-old because too much had already been spent on other operations, after Zaniolo had accepted the opportunity to join them this month.

He tweeted: “Zaniolo had accepted AFC Bournemouth in the night, ready to go this morning. The ownership of the English club then blocked everything because too much had already been spent on other operations.”

Free Run? Unlikely

Bournemouth rejecting the chance to sign the forward comes as a huge surprise given the amount of quality he could provide them in their pursuit of Premier League safety.

But does that mean Leeds now get a free run at the chance to sign Zaniolo, in order to boost their own chances? Considering the players’ wishes to play in the Premier League, it’s unlikely the Whites will have the money to fund a permanent transfer.

The Whites have indeed been busy so far this window, spending over £40million and it’s unclear whether they would go for broke once again.

Zaniolo represents a unique opportunity, one which increases the club’s chances at Premier League safety which could ultimately save them so much money in the long run. It may be a risk worth taking.

In other Leeds United news, visit our live transfer blog for around-the-clock updates straight from Elland Road.