The upcoming January transfer window may decide the fate of Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski with English giants Chelsea and Liverpool keeping tabs on the 24 year old. Zielinski has been on the radar of quite a few big clubs in the recent past, with reports suggesting that both Arsenal and Manchester City are also eager to cash in for the creative play-maker.
According to Calciomercato, Zielinski is set to receive a new contract at Napoli which will see his release clause rise to a whopping €150m, which was earlier set at €65m. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is known to be a stern negotiator and with so many clubs interested on his player, Zielinski’s pricetag is certainly going to raise a few eyebrows. The midfielder has scored twice and has featured in all the matches for the Italian outfit this season.
There are widespread news of Liverpool being the front-runners to sign the 24 year old, but with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City also in the frame, the price for his signature is surely going to surge.
The Gunners consider him to be the right man to replace Aaron Ramsey, who could be sold in the New Year, as his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
Chelsea were close in signing Zielinski in the summer but with Jorginho already having moved to Stamford Bridge along with their former manager Maurizio Sarri, the deal fell out in the end. Liverpool will also be keeping their eyes on him, with Lallana facing frequent injury issues and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sidelined for the rest of the season.
The top clubs from England do not wish to let go of any advantage that they can get in the race to become Premier League champs this term and it seems that the midfield superstar can give them the much needed advantage over their rivals. With that being said, four of the top clubs in England are keen to add him to their squad and the champs will not back down easy.
Pep Guardiola’s team has the advantage over the London based clubs, as City can still offer the player Champions League football, which neither Arsenal nor Chelsea can do this term. They are both at present playing in the Europa League and this might influence his decision, it can be said.
In terms of title ambitions, the Manchester based side are also one of the top clubs in England and it will not be easy to dethrone them. Despite that, a few good buys can really make a difference towards the business end of the season.
This transfer saga has just begun and it will take quite some time before there is any solid conclusion reached, though the clubs from England will be hoping that they can sign the player before he agrees a new deal. The Reds are leading the race to bring him to Anfield at present, though anything is certain in the transfer market, as we saw during the time of the Jorginho deal.
