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There was a time in 2022 when West Ham United were seemingly in a fight to try and sign Piotr Zielinski from Napoli.

The Hammers were said to have made an offer, which was rejected by the player, who seemingly wasn’t interested in moving to the Premier League club because of their lack of Champions League.

He eventually stayed at Napoli, where his contract will run out in the summer, after which he is expected to sign for Inter Milan on a free, much to the disappointment of West Ham, Saudi Arabia and Aurelio De Laurentiis.

The Poland international’s decision to reject a move to England or the Middle-East, as well as preferring against a stay in Naples was commented on by Francesco Modugno on Sky Italia, relayed by Area Napoli.

He said: “Aurelio De Laurentiis may have been disappointed. The boss is convinced that he has made the right offer to Piotr Zielinski regarding the renewal, in the right way and at the right time. He even proposed a higher sum than Inter. 

“But the player has made a different choice, perhaps even a life choice. Let’s remember that the midfielder, in the past, has said no to even important offers such as West Ham and Saudi. A choice both of life and professional.”

This wasn’t the first time the player had been linked with a move to the Premier League before deciding against it, as he was chased very early on in his career by Liverpool.

He instead decided to sign for Napoli, where he has stayed for eight years, joining them from Udinese for €16m, turning down chances to move abroad a number of times, including the aforementioned West Ham transfer.