Inter Milan are reportedly on the verge of reaching an agreement to sign Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski on a free transfer this summer.
The Poland international has been free to discuss pre-contract terms with other clubs since the start of January, when he entered the last six months of his deal with the Italian champions.
A switch to the Premier League or La Liga has been mooted for Zielinski, whose performances during Napoli's Scudetto-winning campaign apparently caught the eye of Liverpool, Barcelona and West Ham United.
However, Inter have now positioned themselves at the head of the queue for Zielinski's signature, and Nerazzurri CEO Beppe Marotta recently confirmed to DAZN that his side had been putting out the feelers over a summer move, and sporting director Piero Ausilio has now taken charge of the operation.
"I spoke with [Napoli President Aurelio] De Laurentiis. I told him that we're testing the waters, in compliance with the rules," FCInterNews quotes Marotta as saying.
"Ausilio will make a decision on how we proceed. And if things work out we'll sign him for next season. These are the kinds of intuitions that the sporting directors at clubs have to have."
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Inter are now close to reaching a verbal agreement with Zielinski, who will arrive at San Siro on a free transfer at the start of July if everything goes to plan.
© Reuters
Romano adds that both parties are finalising the terms of Zielinski's contract, and the Nerazzurri are hopeful that all the relevant documents will be signed off before the end of the month.
Zielinski's most recent Napoli renewal came all the way back in 2020, and the former Udinese man is understood to have rejected the Partenopei's attempts to tie him down beyond the end of the current campaign.
The 29-year-old was peculiarly left out of Napoli's Champions League squad for the knockout stages, a move which some believed was an act of revenge for his refusal to pen fresh terms, although director Mauro Meluso stressed that the decision was purely for footballing reasons.
"We talked to them, explained the logic behind these decisions, which were purely about football," Meluso told DAZN. "Leander Dendoncker, who just arrived, is also out of the UEFA list. There are certain parameters we must stick to and so we had to make these choices.
"Zielinski is a golden lad and a great professional, he has given a great deal to Napoli and will continue to give a lot to Napoli, albeit only in Serie A."
Zielinski joined Napoli from Udinese in the summer of 2016 and has registered 50 goals and 46 assists in 355 matches for the club over the past eight years, winning one Coppa Italia in addition to the 2022-23 Serie A title.
The Pole missed last weekend's 2-1 win over Hellas Verona due to muscular fatigue and remains a doubt for Sunday's clash with AC Milan, which takes place at his future San Siro home.
Ben Knapton
