West Ham United are in the race to sign Arkadiusz Milik after Napoli opted to put the £35 million-rated striker on the transfer market, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
The Poland international knew exactly how Diego Maradona felt last month.
After slamming home the winning penalty in the Coppa Italia triumph over Juventus, securing a first trophy in six years for one of Europe’s most passionate fanbases, it was Milik who sparked wild, albeit socially distanced, celebrations all across Naples.
But, with his contract expiring in just 12 months’ time, it seems that most vital of spot-kicks is not the beginning of a silver-coated Napoli career but the end of an era instead.
According to TMW, Napoli have opted to put Milik on the transfer market with a price-tag of £35 million on his head.
The Serie A giants would have loved to keep the former Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen frontman. But, in this most uncertain of markets, outspoken owner Aurelio di Laurentiis was never going to bow down to Milik’s demands of a £90,000-a-week contract extension.
“It’s difficult to find someone better than Milik,” a clearly dejected Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso told Sky this month.
“However, when a player believes his time at a club is over and he wants a change of scenery, you have to listen to him.
“You can’t try to keep someone against their will, or it’s difficult to get them to listen or have the right mentality. You have to respect the wishes of the player.”
It seems distinctly unlikely, however, that Milik would consider joining a West Ham side who, with just three games remaining, are still very much in danger of relegation to the Championship.
You cannot fault the Hammers’ ambition in the transfer market but, with Manchester United, Tottenham, Juventus and more all queuing up for the Pole’s signature, he has far better offers on the table to say the least.
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