Newcastle United made a £23 million bid for Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik in September AreaNapoli reports, with the Poland international counting down the days until the window opens again.
For this former Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen forward, January can’t come soon enough.
You’ll be aware by now that Milik is out of contract in the summer.
And, due to his reluctance to sign an extension, he’s now persona non grata at the Stadio San Paolo. He has failed to kick a ball in anger all season, with Victor Osimhen and Andrea Petagna ahead of him in Gennaro Gattuso’s pecking order.
After turning down Newcastle’s £23 million bid, the Partenopei will have no choice but to accept a vastly reduced fee in January.
Annoying though that may be, it makes a lot more sense to sell Milik for about £10 million than lose him for free a few months later.
What is more, the man himself has already made clear his desire to leave in the new year (DiMarzio).
Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan continue to be linked while, according to Corriere dello Sport, the 2020 Coppa Italia winner has been made an £85,000-a-week offer by Roma.
If Newcastle are serious about signing him in January, Milik would automatically become one of their top earners.
However, with Callum Wilson potentially out for a while after his injury against Southampton, a new number nine would be priceless.
Milik scored 20 times in 2018/19 and a further 14 times last term, while his 6ft 1in frame and intelligent link play make him the ideal fit for Steve Bruce’s lone-striker system.
Furthermore, he now has the Poland national team manager encouraging him to find a new club with the European Championships only months away.
“Milik and (West Brom winger) Kamil (Grosicki) are very important players for this team, with incredible quality. Personally, I count a lot on them,” Jerzy Brzeczek told Il Mattino.
“They are not having an easy time but I think they can change teams as early as January.”
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