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It happens in every transfer window, and even outside of the window: constant speculation that Piotr Zieliński’s future lies away from Napoli.
We’ve been getting solidly drip-fed information about how Zieliński is viewed by the Napoli hierarchy pretty much every week since January in both the Italian and Polish press, and it seems more likely than ever that Zielu will depart the club he has been at since 2016.
As far as we can tell, it’s not like Zieliński is pushing for this transfer, but there seems to be a growing sense that Napoli can successfully replace the older stars of their team with younger, better upgrades for less money. This confidence in recruitment at Napoli has only been strengthened after the fantastic debut season that both Kvicha Kvaratshkelia and Kim Min Jae have had replacing Lorenzo Insigne and Kalidou Koulibaly respectively, helping end Napoli’s well-documented 33-year wait for another Serie A title.
We shouldn’t forget that Zieliński has played an important role for Napoli this campaign as well, notching seven goals and ten assists in 45 appearances so far this season.
Zieliński has publicly stated he has no desire to leave Napoli, but the tide seems to be turning against him. Napoli were determined to negotiate Zieliński to a lower wage, making it clear that he would be moved on whether he wanted to be or not this summer given he will only have one year left on his contract. There is a sense that Napoli have identified an as yet unknown younger, better replacement who can be secured for a low fee like they did so well last summer.
It’s not out of the question that Zieliński stays at Napoli with a reduced wage and perhaps limited to time off the bench, but the feeling is that Napoli want him gone regardless. In which case, which club is the most likely destination?
One club that has been constantly linked with Zieliński, even since he was a teenager, has been Liverpool. A club that definitely needs to add one, two or even three quality midfielders in this summer’s transfer window, Zieliński represents an attractive option at a cheaper price than many of Liverpool’s other midfield targets. Liverpool have only really made a transfer like this once before in recent memory, that of Thiago back in summer 2020. An older, creative midfielder that is available at a fair price, Thiago’s impact (when fit) has been undeniably positive, and there is every chance Zieliński could recreate that success.
Tomasz Włodarczyk reported a few weeks back that Liverpool have actually been in touch with Zieliński’s representatives in order to sound out how likely a move is, but so far we have heard little more on the matter. You would imagine that much of Zieliński’s decision making over any potential move to Anfield would be dependent on who else is brought in and if Liverpool can qualify for next season’s Champions League, a feat that at time of writing looks increasingly unlikely.
Speaking from a personal perspective, I would be unbelievably excited as a Liverpool fan to turn up to watch Zieliński every other week. He still seems to be quite a heavily underrated footballer, and we’ve seen how playing for pretty much any Premier League club can make (or break) a player’s wider reputation.
This idea that Zieliński might be signed by a Premier League club has some credence; West Ham reportedly had a €40 million offer accepted by Napoli last summer, but Zieliński did not wish to leave Napoli.
Sticking with a Premier League club that could sign Zieliński, Newcastle United may wish to throw their hat in the ring. Clearly a club on the rise thanks to a now-endless stream of money, they look nailed on to play Champions League football next year and will doubtless be adding quality to their squad in the summer. Even though the fee would be of little consequence, the experience and quality of Zieliński would make him a sensible signing for Newcastle.
If I can speak personally again for a moment, I’d prefer if Zieliński avoided Newcastle as although an attractive project for a player and there would be no arguments about taking a lower wage like at Napoli, Newcastle is now a state-owned football club with serious ethical quandaries and that wouldn’t endear Zielu to many people. Other than Newcastle fans, obviously.
It’s also important to remember that Zieliński wants to become an Italian citizen, having lived in the country since he was 17, so no matter how attractive the Premier League may be to most players there is a good chance he wishes to spend his entire senior career in Italy.
Lazio are believed to be leading the race to sign Zieliński from Napoli, according to reports in the Italian press. Maurizio Sarri has managed Zielu before in his career, and Lazio are having one of their best seasons in recent memory and have a good chance of playing Champions League football next season. Their latest offer reportedly stands at €20 million, which is allegedly €5 million short of Napoli’s asking price. Italian football is not exactly awash with cash at the moment, so a €25 million fee for a player who is nearly 30 is a lot of money to any Italian club.
Inter have had terrible financial trouble recently, but this pressure has been somewhat alleviated by reaching the Champions League final. However much they receive for getting to this year’s showpiece event in Istanbul, you can be sure some of it will be reinvested in the squad, but whether Zieliński is a realistic target for a team which already has a number of good midfield players is hard to say.
AC Milan are also looking to buy one or two new midfield players this summer, but it is believed their attentions are focused on Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek and a move for Zieliński is not in their plans at present.
In truth, any Italian club would be lucky to have Zieliński given how solid his performances have been in Serie A over the years. Whether they can afford him is a different matter.
Conversely, even a newly-promoted Premier League club could afford Zieliński, but would he really want to leave Italy and would he pick a club based on whether they are playing in the Champions League?
We have to believe Zieliński when he says he wants to stay at Napoli, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Napoli would rather he left this summer before they lose him for free next year, and it looks likely that he will be shopped around to a number of European clubs before the 2023/24 season starts.
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