Liverpool fans had grown so weary of their side’s long-running pursuit of Polish midfield Piotr Zielinski over the summer that it was a blessed relief when he finally moved from Udinese to Napoli, leaving the Reds to complete a swoop for Georginio Wijnaldum - which has proven to be a decent move thus far.

Alas, after the aforementioned window-long chase (the Liverpool Echo were just one of many, many outlets to report on it) Jurgen Klopp’s side, according to Il Mattino, are back in the hunt for the 22-year-old, who has been a real success in the blue shirt of the Naples club.

Indeed, it’s claimed that not even his €70m release clause (£60.4m) is enough to completely deter the Merseysiders, but it remains unlikely that they will blow their club-record fee out of the water and pay that, which could leave the door ajar for Chelsea, who are also keen.

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But, why should Liverpool return? After all, they tried, failed and signed an alternative during the window before last. Well, things aren’t going too well at Anfield, and a composed central midfielder able to get on the ball, play passes accurately and create chances would be of use, and Zielinski fits the bill…

As his numbers in Serie A action show, the central star has done well over his 22 outings, averaging a pass success rate of 87%, while creating 29 chances (six of which have been turned into assists) and scoring two goals. On top of this, he contributes in a defensive sense, with 16 tackles won and 15 interceptions.

Perhaps Zielinski could replace Emre Can or offer a viable deep-lying alternative to Jordan Henderson.

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