Barcelona failed to sign Roma wantaway Nicolo Zaniolo in January due to 'financial reasons'

• Barca wanted Zaniolo in January
• Italian forced out by Roma
• But ultimately signed for Galatasaray

WHAT HAPPENED? Despite finding a new lease of life in Turkey after being left out in the cold in Rome, it all could've looked very different for Zaniolo after the January transfer window, with the midfielder attracting a variety of interest from around Europe. One such club with a concrete interest was none other than Barcelona, according to his agent.

WHAT THEY SAID: Claudio Vigorelli has explained why the move failed to materialise, telling Relevo: "He was on Barcelona’s list in January, it’s true — they appreciated him but unfortunately it was not possible to proceed due to financial reasons."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: A series of serious knee injuries sent what should've been a bright career with Roma spiralling down the wrong path for Zaniolo, who failed to work his way back to form in Italy after recovering from two separate ACL tears.

Having been frozen out and publicly criticised by Jose Mourinho, Zaniolo searched desperately for a January transfer, turning down an unusual opportunity in the form of a move to Premier League strugglers Bournemouth and eventually sealing a move to Galatasaray. He's since enjoyed an upturn in form, though, with three goals from six Super Lig games, while Barcelona continue to scramble over their finances.

The Catalan giants are still in desperate need to clear masses of debt and have recently decided to axe their Barca TV network in an attempt to do that, with the club trying to re-sign Lionel Messi as well as register a new contract for Gavi.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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Getty Images

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WHAT NEXT FOR ZANIOLO? Should he continue to impress on his comeback tour around Turkey, clubs may be queuing up to take Zaniolo off of Galatasaray's hands, with his contract including a €35m release clause.