Kean to Roma and Zaniolo to Juve: Could a swap be on the cards for Italy’s two golden boys?

26 mar 2019

Moise Kean and Nicolò Zaniolo are the two new stars of Italian football. Together with Donnarumma, Barella, Chiesa and Bernardeschi, Roberto Mancini is re-shaping the national team around them. Kean and Zaniolo will also be among the main protagonists in the summer transfer market, two parallel stories that could also be intertwined. Between the two there is a great bond, as Roma’s number 22 has spoken of: "In the National Team Kean is my roommate, we know each other from the Under 19. We get on well together because we are similar and we like to joke". There is no doubt that Juventus are following Zaniolo carefully and that, should the Giallorossi decide to put him on the market, the Bianconeri would be in the front row to buy him. But the option of Kean and Zaniolo together at Juve is not the only one. Indeed, there is another way, less fabulous and more pragmatic. Kean to Roma and Zaniolo to Juve.

The negotiation for the contract renewal of Kean with Juve has stalled. His contract expires in 2020, and at the moment there is no official news of a renewal. In all probability, Fabio Paratici and Mino Raiola (Kean's agent) will find a solution by the summer, because it would be an unforgivable mistake, for the Italian champions, to run the risk of losing the new star of the national team on a free transfer. But the problem would remain, for Kean, to become a starter at Juventus, who not only have Cristiano Ronaldo, but Mandzukic who looks close to a contract renewal, and that is before you take into account the rumours about Juventus’ interest for Icardi. Opportunities in the attacking areas of the team, seem to be becoming harder to come by rather than easier for someone like Kean.

In the summer of 1993 Pierluigi Casiraghi went on loan to Lazio, after finding himself behind Vialli, Ravenelli and Baggio at Juve. He decided that he needed to play regularly if he was not going to lose his place in the National team. We suggest therefore, this idea to Juve's current management: if Kean cannot be (yet) a Juventus starter, send him where he can play continuously. Because he needs to play, Raiola is right. The idea of Roma, in this light, is not uncommon: the Giallorossi will almost certainly be without Dzeko and will need a striker. And Kean could represent the kind of ideal player to convince Roma to sell Zaniolo. It seems like it could be a situation from which all clubs and players could benefit.