Tottenham Hotspur are allegedly keen on Napoli midfielder Amadou Diawara but should seriously consider his teammate Piotr Zielinski.
It only takes a stylish shimmy, an incisive pass or a burst of acceleration to make you realise just what an exciting young midfielder Piotr Zielinski has become.
And it is testament to just how fearsome Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli side are that the Polish midfielder has only started eight Serie A games this season. The Partenopei are dreaming of a first Scudetto since 1990 but, with Marek Hamsik, Jorginho and Allan all ahead of him in the pecking order, Zielinski has been forced to accept a back-up role.
But this has not prevented Liverpool from planning a summer move for one of Europe’s most elegant young midfielders. Corriere Dello Sport reports that the Reds will have to pay big for this potential Philippe Coutinho replacement as there is a £57.3 million release clause in his contract.
It is fair to say his value has sky-rocketed in recent months. After all, it is just over six months since Tottenham Hotspur bid £25 million for the former Udinese talent, according to Italian paper Il Mattino.
But it will be interesting to see whether Spurs are still interested come the summer.
There is already one Napoli starlet on their radar, The Sun claiming that Tottenham are prepared to pay about £33 million to sign the defensive playmaker Amadou Diawara, who has been reportedly earmarked as a long-term successor to Moussa Dembele.
Zielinski would cost £20 million more but, if Spurs are to close the gap on both Manchester clubs, this could be the sort of ambitious signing they need to make.
Diawara has his qualities but Zielinski’s world class potential puts him on another plane. And if Spurs are to break their transfer record this summer, the 23-year-old might be a worthy candidate.
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