It is a transfer story many fans will already be aware of, but few may know exactly how far Liverpool went in their bid to sign Piotr Zielinski.
Zielinski emerged as one of the first major targets of Jurgen Klopp‘s reign as the Reds searched for a new midfielder in the summer of 2016.
The player himself confirmed contact with the club and was later pictured wearing a Liverpool shirt on Polish TV, while bids of £9.5 million and £12 million were reported.
Those ultimately failed, with Udinese rejecting their advances for a player who went on to join Napoli that summer in a deal worth €16 million.
Having left Napoli after eight successful seasons this summer to sign for Inter Milan, Zielinski has detailed how close he came to joining Liverpool – including in-person talks with Klopp after being flown over in a private jet.
“Jurgen Klopp invited me to his house. Liverpool sent a private jet to pick me up,” he told Polish YouTube channel Foot Truck.
“Klopp told me that for him I am a mix between [Cesc] Fabregas and [Ilkay] Gundogan. I didn’t understand anything, but then my agent, who spoke German, told me everything.
“When we were leaving I managed to take a photo with Klopp who was at the door and said goodbye.”
The former Liverpool manager made a point of speaking personally with each player before sanctioning any signings, and that was the same for Zielinski.
However, there were no issues when it came to those conversations, with the Poland international instead explaining that it was Udinese who blocked his move.
“They were offering €18.5 million, but Udinese wanted something more,” he continued.
“However, Liverpool couldn’t cross a certain limit with me because I wasn’t a top player yet.
“The other side of the coin is that I didn’t feel like one either.”
Zielinski clearly understood Liverpool’s reluctance to part ways with a sizeable fee, though it is surprising that he went on to join a Serie A rival for less than the Reds were willing to pay.
After moving on from their attempts to sign Zielinski, the club eventually landed a £25 million deal to bring Gini Wijnaldum in from Newcastle.
Wijnaldum had already proved himself in the Premier League and went on to establish himself as one of the most important players for Klopp’s hugely successful side.
It was a sliding doors moment for Liverpool and Zielinski, and though it worked for both, it is interesting to hear how the Reds pulled out all the stops for a “mix between Fabregas and Gundogan.”
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