Report: Liverpool could convince £35m midfielder to join; he's more complete than Phil Foden

Liverpool are in dire need of bolstering their midfield ranks this summer amid ageing legs and expiring contracts.

According to Il Mattino, the Reds could be getting another chance to sign a player Jurgen Klopp has long admired.

Back in 2016, Liverpool reportedly came close to signing Piotr Zielinski, who was at Udinese at the time.

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However, he ended up joining Napoli, who apparently offered a better financial package than the Reds.

Over the years, Zielinski has continued to catch the eye in Serie A.

But now, the 28-year-old’s future in Naples looks to be increasingly in the balance.

Il Mattino – via Sport Witness – claims Zielinski’s salary seems to be ‘too important’.

This is considering the new wage structure Aurelio de Laurentiis has put in place in recent months.

At present, Zielinski is on €3.5m a year.

Reports in Poland suggest he could reduce his salary to €2.5m a year to pen an extension.

As per Il Mattino and Sport Witness, his future ‘can only be in the Premier League’ if he fails to agree a new Napoli deal.

Liverpool come up as a potential option in England, with Zielinski having ‘always dreamed’ of playing in the Premier League.

With that in mind, Liverpool could convince Klopp’s old target to make a switch to England.

However, this would only be a possibility if Zielinski and Napoli fail to find an agreement over a new contract.

Prior reports suggest the player is valued at around €40m, or £35million.

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‘He is a beautiful footballer’

Zielinski would be a great shout for Liverpool, as he’s an incredibly talented and technically gifted midfielder.

He is closing in on 250 appearances for the Partenopei and has scored 32 goals.

In addition, Zielinski has 63 caps for Poland and has played at four major tournaments for his nation.

Poland manager Paulo Sousa has spoken highly about the reported Liverpool target.

“Zielinski is an exceptional player,” The Guardian quotes Sousa as saying last year.

“Recently, I was listening to Pep Guardiola talking about Phil Foden.

“He said he was a genius, an outstanding talent.

“But to get to the highest world level, he needs to know when to change the pace of the game.

“He [Foden] still lacks that. And Piotr has it.

“He sees everything, he perfectly feels the space between his teammates and the opponent.

“[Zielinski] has an amazing sense of timing and pitch geometry.

“He can slow down or speed up the game with one pass.

“He is a beautiful footballer. Sometimes he just needs a little more adrenaline.”

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