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Inter Milan star Piotr Zielinski has claimed that he once rejected a move to Premier League giants Liverpool despite legendary manager Jurgen Klopp's best attempts. The Polish midfielder said the Reds sent a 'private jet' to bring him over to Merseyside and have a chat with the German tactician.
Zielinski has spent his entire career in the Italian top-flight, the Serie A. He came up through the ranks and made his senior debut at Udinese in 2012, playing alongside current Manchester United club captain Bruno Fernandes.
The 30-year-old moved to Napoli in 2016, spending eight successful seasons at the club. He scored twice against Liverpool in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League to secure a 4-1 win for the Naples-based outfit.
Piotr Zielinski's impressive performances had top European sides clamoring for his signature during the 2023-24 campaign, the last year of his contract at Naples. However, he rejected advances from sides like Liverpool and Arsenal to join Inter Milan on a free transfer in the summer of 2024.
In a video on the Foot Truck YouTube channel, Zielinski recalled the Reds' attempt to secure his services, saying (via GOAL):
"Liverpool sent a private jet to Florence for me and I flew with my agent Bartlomiej Bolek – we drove up to (Jurgen) Klopp’s house afterwards, we had a great conversation. It was the first time I had flown like that. He said that for him I was a mix of (Ilkay) Gundogan and (Cesc) Fabregas."
"We watched a Premier League match at his place on his giant TV, I had never seen anything like that either," Zielinski added.
While they failed to land Zielinski, Liverpool signed star midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch in the 2023-24 season.
"Bruno Fernandes wanted me" - Former Liverpool target Piotr Zielinski makes claim about top European clubs' interest
Polish star Piotr Zielinski also claimed that Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was eager to have him join the Red Devils. The 30-year-old opened up on interest from other top European sides such as Arsenal and Barcelona.
Zielinski and Fernandes played together at Udinese, making three appearances for the senior team and two for the U-19 squad. In one of the latter games, both got on the scoresheet as they beat AC Milan's U-19 side 3-1.
Speaking on the Foot Truck YouTube channel, Zielinski said he is still in contact with the Portuguese superstar and that the latter wanted him at Old Trafford. He said (via GOAL):
"At one time, Bruno Fernandes wanted me to end up in Manchester. We are still in touch, we talk quite often – we played together in Udinese, and in one of the matches we practically single-handedly beat Milan."
Speaking about interest from other top clubs, Zielinski added:
"Arsenal were closer to realisation than Barcelona because (Aurelio) De Laurentiis (Napoli president) didn’t want a few boys from La Masia in return."
Zielinski has made six appearances (two starts) this season for Inter Milan.
