Earlier on Wednesday, we covered claims made in Italy that Napoli are thinking about selling Piotr Zieliński after West Ham United showed interest in him.
Today’s Corriere dello Sport explains the Hammers ‘insist’ on taking the midfielder in the summer window.
West Ham saw their initial offer of €25 turned down by the Serie A side. They are ‘ready to raise’ the proposal to €36m including bonuses, which is €4m short of the fee demanded by the Naples club.
It’s worth noting various asking prices have been mentioned, and the €40m is Corriere’s take.
The Poland international, for his part, is ‘not at all convinced’ about joining David Moyes’ side, something which has been mentioned before but which could be a salary negotiating tactic. The newspaper states he could change his mind only if there is a ‘monstrous’ wages offer, much higher than the €4m net per year he’s currently earning in Italy.
Further details are provided by La Repubblica, relayed by CalcioNapoli24, who add Zieliński has asked for a salary of €5.5m per year.
He lost the ‘indispensable’ tag in the second half of the previous campaign, when he was often dropped to the bench.
West Ham have ‘decided to get serious’ and are not ready to give up on the Pole. They are ‘thinking of upping the ante to over €30m’, likely excluding bonuses. La Repubblica state the conclusion of the negotiation will be known soon.
Meanwhile, journalist Rosario Dello Iavoco claims, relayed by Area Napoli, that West Ham have found an agreement with Napoli for about £30m to sign Zielinski. He further states the player ‘wants to leave’ the club after a dip in his performances in the first half of this year.
“…At least at the moment, there is no agreement on the engagement with the Hammers, considering that from the Champions League, he would find himself playing the Conference League,” Iavoco said.
