Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed Piotr Zielinski is holding out for a move to Liverpool.
The Polish midfielder was recently the subject of interest from Udinese’s Serie A counterparts but remains intent on securing a summer switch to Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp is understood to have placed Zielinski high on his list of transfer targets but Napoli appear to have beaten the Reds to the punch with a deal worth in the region of £10 million widely reported to have been accepted.
But De Laurentiis claims that the 22-year-old and his desire to join the ranks at Anfield is proving a significant stumbling block to his club’s proposed transfer.
“I negotiated for Zielinski with the Pozzo family and we finalised every detail,” he told Corriere dello Sport.
“Instead it now seems as if the player is doing everything possible to resist the move and not come here. He wants Liverpool.”
“Maybe he has never been to Naples, or just loves The Beatles. If I were Zielinski, I’d run here. I’d tell him, ‘are you not interested in playing the Champions League with Maurizio Sarri as your teacher?’”