Napoli may be in with a shout in the race for Piotr Zielinski’s signature as the Italian club has reportedly agreed on a fee with Udinese, with firm favorites Liverpool taking their own sweet time in closing the deal for the Polish midfielder.
Piotr Zielinski’s transfer to Liverpool was rumored to have been done even before the Euros began and there were reports that the announcement was to be made as soon as the Polish National Team returned from the European Championships. As recent as yesterday, reports suggested that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called Zielinski and assured him of his role at Anfield in a bid to convince him to join The Reds.
Today brings in new twists in the deal as reports now suggest that Liverpool’s reluctance to close the deal seems to have given Napoli fresh hope in their pursuit of the 22-year old Polish midfielder. David Amoyal reports that Napoli have in fact agreed on a fee with Zielinski’s club. Napoli’s offer includes the exchange of Zuniga along with the fee.
Piotr Zielinski joined Udinese in 2012 but has spent the last two seasons on loan at Empoli. He made 65 appearances on loan at Empoli and scored 5 goals in the process. The 22-year old made his Poland debut in a friendly against Liechtenstein and went on to make 16 appearances for the nation and contributed 3 goals.
Zielinski is a deft passer of the ball. The Polish international is equally adept at playing short passes and splitting defenses with his through-balls. His dribbling skills can get him out of intricate positions. The fact that Klopp personally called and assured the player of his role is a testament to the player’s ability as Liverpool already have so many creative midfielders in the squad.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool is able to close the deal in time but Klopp seems to really want the player. Klopp’s success rate with new signings, at every club he has been with is, has been impressive and this might just be another case of The Boss being (almost) always right.
