Serie A giants Inter Milan will reportedly compete with Barcelona in the race to sign Napoli playmaker Piotr Zielinski.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Piotr Zielinski is the subject of interest from Inter Milan. The Serie A giants want to land the Polish international in a Bosman move if he leaves Napoli as a free agent. But he is also a target for reigning La Liga champions Barcelona.
Piotr Zielinski has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Serie A since joining Napoli from Udinese in August 2016. The 29-year-old has been in Italy for over a decade now, and he has carved a legacy during this period. But his stock has skyrocketed in the last two seasons, with the Partenopei contesting for the Scudetto.
Napoli looked the favourites to win the Serie A title in the 2021/22 season before falling by the wayside as AC Milan rose to the top. But they did not make any errors last term, with Zielinski contributing to the Scudetto triumph. However, the Polish international, who has turned out nearly 350 times thus far for Napoli, has entered the last year of his contract.
The former Udinese midfielder will become a free agent next summer if talks between him and Napoli do not progress. But in January, he can start talking to clubs outside Italy over a pre-contract agreement. Such a situation has alerted several high-profile clubs, including Barcelona. But Inter Milan will also compete for his signature.
Barcelona bolstered the midfield unit in the summer transfer window by signing Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu. But both players are on the wrong side of 30 and approaching the final phase of their respective careers. So, Barcelona should scour the market for creative midfielder and a defensive-minded option. Zielinski is thus a viable target for the Blaugrana.
As for Inter Milan, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is well into his thirties. So, they might need to delve into the market for a midfield reinforcement in the summer transfer window next year. Zielinski is thus an option worth considering, with the Serie A winner unlikely to take time to settle down at San Siro.
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The 29-year-old is also a target for several Premier League bigwigs. Meanwhile, Saudi Pro League clubs tried signing him this past summer and could return next year. So, the competition for his signature should heat up in the coming months, with Napoli struggling to keep the Serie A winner at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
