Man City hit roadblock as Serie A star has personal reason to snub Guardiola
Manchester City still have eyes on a transfer for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski, but their interest has reportedly hit a barrier.
City boss Pep Guardiola is supposedly preparing for another big summer of spending to mount a Premier League title defence. Tottenham’s Harry Kane is an apparent target, amid speculation over his Tottenham future. Meanwhile, Aston Villa and England star Jack Grealish could also arrive.
Both deals, if they came off, would likely cost over £200million in total and use up City’s budget.
The transfers will not only prove expensive, but difficult, with both clubs unwilling to lose their star men.
As a result, Guardiola has other transfer targets on his shortlist. One of those, according to La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), is Poland international Zielinski.
Liverpool and Tottenham have had links this year, but City reportedly remain keen.
Still, their interest has not turned into an offer. There is also a chance Zielinski would reject a move to the Etihad Stadium anyway.
City and Napoli still have a frosty relationship over a failed deal for Jorginho, who instead moved to Chelsea in 2018.
Zielinski knows all about that saga and it has strengthened his will to continue being a crucial figure at the Serie A club.
Furthermore, he only renewed his contract in August last year. That means a deal this summer would prove expensive.
Zielinski moved across Italy from Udinese in 2016 and has played 239 games since then. He has also contributed 32 goals and 28 assists.
Zielinski given exciting verdict
Speaking earlier this year, former Napoli star Salvatore Bagni opened up on his admiration for the midfielder.
“I suspect nobody has a Zielinski,” he said.
“He has inside him crazy plays, the ability to play with both feet, an intelligence that is needed to make a difference.
“Sometimes I even doubt that he doesn’t even know how strong he is and if they notice it, Real Madrid or clubs of that level could wake up.
“For me, we’re talking about a footballer from another planet.”
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