Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Piotr Zielinski to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.
What's the talk?
That's according to a number of recent reports in Italy (via Sport Witness), who claim that both Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte are known to be big fans of the Napoli midfielder, with Spurs said to have already approached the Serie A side concerning a move for the 28-year-old.
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However, the report goes on to state that Aurelio de Laurentiis informed the Tottenham transfer team that it would require a fee of around €50m (£43m) in order for him to sanction the sale of the Poland international this summer.
"Out of the ordinary"
Considering how impressive Zielinski was for Napoli this season, in addition to the signing of a new central midfielder being reported to be one of Conte's priorities in the summer market, it is unsurprising to learn of Tottenham's interest in a move for the 28-year-old.
Indeed, over his 35 Serie A appearances this term, the £45m-rated talent was in sensational form in the heart of Luciano Spalletti's side, scoring six goals, registering five assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.
Furthermore, according to FBref data, the £106k-per-week Pole also ranks in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe's big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for shots, the top 9% for xG, the top 12% for assists, the top 4% for progressive passes received and the top 19 % for progressive carries.
The midfielder's impressive returns during his six-year stay in Naples have also seen him come in for a considerable amount of praise, none more so than from Pepe Reina, who stated of the playmaker back in 2020:
"There is a player who I fell in love with from the first time I saw him – the Napoli midfielder Zielinski. He's a Real Madrid or Barcelona player. He is out of the ordinary. He is higher than Serie A."
As such, with the likes of Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso all looking as if they could be moving on this summer, Zielinski would very much appear to be an ideal replacement for any of this trio, as the Napoli star would evidently be a much better fit for the 52-year-old Italian's setup in north London.
AND in other news: Conte now plotting £50m offer for "frightening" £200k-p/w Spurs target, he's Salah 2.0