Manchester United and Liverpool have reportedly held talks with the agent of Napoli’s Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski over a summer move.
Speaking on Marte Sport Live, as relayed by Area Napoli, Italian journalist Ciro Troise of Corriere del Mezzogiorno has claimed that Premier League bigwigs Manchester United and Liverpool have spoken to the representatives of Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski over a potential transfer.
Zielinski has been in Italy since 2011 when he joined the Udinese youth setup before graduating to the first-team. Following a loan stint with Empoli, the 27-year-old made the switch to Napoli in the summer of 2016 and has since grown into one of the top midfielders on display in Serie A, racking up 238 appearances for the Partenopei, scoring 32 goals and setting up 28 more.
A permanent fixture for the Poland national team, Zielinski has 63 caps for the team. Able to do the job in multiple roles in the middle of the park, Zielinski has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past, and they seem to have resurfaced yet again, with Manchester United and Liverpool seemingly showing an interest in him.
Manchester United are well-stocked in the midfield department with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer able to call upon Fred, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Donny van de Beek and Nemanja Matic. However, things may change in the coming weeks as Pogba is in the final year of his contract and may be sold in order to avoid losing him for free next year, while Van de Beek is also facing an uncertain future.
With Nemanja Matic not getting any younger, it would make sense for the Red Devils to bring in another midfielder, with Zielinski representing a solid option given his experience and versatile nature. However, they could face serious competition from bitter rivals Liverpool, who are also looking at the Poland international.
Liverpool’s need for a new central midfielder stems from the fact that Georginio Wijnaldum left the club upon the expiry of his contract earlier this summer. Furthermore, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been blighted by injuries and lack of form, while James Milner is also entering the final phase of his career.
In addition to that, recent reports have claimed that skipper Jordan Henderson is also looking at an uncertain future. And even though that is unlikely to lead to anything, Jurgen Klopp & co. would be better off bringing in a new midfielder this summer, with Zielinski emerging as a viable target for the Reds along with Manchester United.
Confirming the same, journalist Ciro Troise said: “Zielinski? His entourage has I got a couple of calls from Liverpool and Manchester United.”
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Whether this leads to either club firming up their interest in the Poland international remains to be seen. Interestingly, the Premier League giants are also battling for the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez as well.
