Manchester United are hoping to steal Nicolo Zaniolo away from Tottenham Hotspur with a £25m bid, according to Calciomercato via The Sun.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Zaniolo could be a crucial piece in his puzzle at Manchester United.

Despite interest from both Tottenham and Juventus, Manchester United are thought to be leading the race to sign the 20-year-old.

Zaniolo could be set for an acrimonious departure from Roma this summer after a row over a new contract.

The 20-year-old is reported to believe he should be offered a better deal by the club after his form last season, but sporting director Gianluca Petrachi wants him to prove it even more.

Zaniolo's form last season saw him catch the eye of Italy national team boss Roberto Mancini, as he won his first two caps for his country.

Zaniolo is predominantly an attacking midfielder; however, he also played on the right-wing for Roma last season (as shown on WhoScored). With Juan Mata as the club's only senior attacking midfielder, adding Zaniolo would increase the squad depth in the position.

Last season Mata contributed just three goals and four assists in the Premier League as he failed to make the required impact. Meanwhile, Zaniolo scored six goals and assisted a further two, despite starting the campaign on the bench.

Mata is more of a passer of the ball, and chance creator. He made on average 1.4 key passes per game last season, as opposed to Zaniolo's 0.7 key passes per game.

However, At 6 foot 2, Zaniolo has the power and pace to carry the ball through attacking areas when compared to Mata. This is shown in the dribbling statistics from last season, where Zaniolo on average dribbled 1.4 times per games, as opposed to Mata, who dribbled just 0.5 times per game.

Signing Zaniolo would make sense, as the 20-year-old would provide Manchester United with a different option to Mata in the number 10 role. And for £25m, a fee Manchester United were reported to be preparing to bid, it would be a steal given the inflated nature of the current transfer market, something picked up on by Forbes.

Manchester United fans, would Zaniolo be a good signing? Join the discussion by commenting below...