Former Aston Villa midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo has been accused of provoking Roma's youth-team players, with two reportedly struck following a match on Monday.

The alleged incident occurred after Fiorentina's Under-20s defeated Roma's counterparts in the Italian Primavera semi-final.

Zaniolo, who joined Fiorentina on loan from Galatasaray in February after leaving Roma in 2023, attended the match.

Roma claimed that Zaniolo entered their dressing room after the game and engaged in provocative behavior toward some of the Giallorossi youth players.

A club statement added that during the confrontation, two players from the Primavera squad were reportedly physically struck.

AS Roma strongly condemns any form of aggressive conduct that does not align with sporting values.

In response, Zaniolo stated via Fiorentina that he went to the locker room to congratulate the Fiorentina players and then visited the Roma locker room to say hello and commend their season.

He added that insults were directed at him, so he chose to leave to prevent escalation.

The 25-year-old did not address Roma's claim that two of their players were struck.

Zaniolo, who scored the winning goal for Roma in the 2022 UEFA Conference League final, left Roma in 2023 for Galatasaray and has since had loan spells at Aston Villa, Atalanta, and Fiorentina.