Soccer Football - Serie A - Atalanta v Napoli - Stadio Atleti Azzurri, Bergamo, Italy - April 3, 2022 Atalanta's Teun Koopmeiners in action with Napoli's Piotr Zielinski REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
West Ham United have made an offer to sign Napoli star Piotr Zielinski, with a report from Italy also sharing a boost in club negotiations.
The Lowdown: West Ham eye Zielinski move…
The Serie A star is a target for Irons manager David Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman, with the latter also personally determined to get a deal for the 28-year-old over the line.
He has been linked with a move to east London over the last few weeks after West Ham sealed deals for Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Alphonse Areola (loan made permanent) and Gianluca Scamacca.
The 2022/23 Premier League season is imminent and Moyes’ side play host to champions Man City on Sunday, a match which could be considered the most challenging opener for any top-flight team.
West Ham will ideally want as many targets as possible wrapped up soon, with news emerging on their attempts to sign Zielinski.
The Latest: West Ham bid ‘cannot’ be refused…
According to Il Mattino on Sunday (via Sport Witness), Napoli simply ‘cannot’ refuse West Ham’s latest offer.
It is believed that the Irons have lodged a bid of close to €40m (£34m) for Zielinski, a proposal that the Azzurri seem happy to accept, but the problem lies on the player’s side.
He is apparently still unconvinced by a move to the London Stadium but Napoli are allegedly pushing him to green-light the move in order to facilitate the sale.
The Verdict: Get it done…
While Zielinski will take convincing, we believe that he could be worth close to £34m given that he is still in his prime and comes with a glowing reputation.
The 28-year-old, who has been likened to Man City star Kevin De Bruyne, has also been called ‘amazing‘ by former Poland national team coach Paulo Sousa. A return of 73 goal contributions in 281 Napoli appearances might go some way to explaining that glowing verdict.
Where will West Ham finish at the end of 2022/2023?
Top four
Europa League place
Top eight
Mid-table
It appears that West Ham have one foot over the line with Napoli willing to accept their bid, but Moyes will be hoping that Zielinski elects to make the move to England.
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