Napoli director Mauro Meluso insists the club’s decision to omit Piotr Zielinski from the Champions League squad has nothing to do with his contractual wobble. The Poland international’s future at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona seems destined to halt at the end of the season.
Zielinski’s contract runs out in the summer. Despite several attempts to convince him to sign a new deal, Napoli have made no progress. The 29-year-old is seemingly determined to cut short his long-term association with the reigning Serie A champions.
The ex-Udinese playmaker has refused every approach from Napoli over a new agreement, with sources close to the player revealing he has agreed to join fierce rivals Inter as a free agent. Such talks have now gone down well with the club hierarchy, resulting in his omission from the Champions League list.
Asked to provide an update on the situation, the Napoli chief maintained it was ‘purely about football.’
“We talked to them, explained the logic behind these decisions, which were purely about football,” Meluso told DAZN, as quoted by Gianluca Di Marzio. “Zielinski is a golden lad and a great professional, he has given a great deal to Napoli and will continue to give a lot to Napoli, albeit only in Serie A.“
Walter Mazzarri’s return to the bench derailed Zielinski’s first-team prospects at Napoli. But after the Italian manager reverted to Luciano Spalleti’s Scudetto-winning 4-3-3 formation, the Pole has regained his place in the starting XI.
But the club couldn’t overlook his reluctance to put pen to paper on a new deal.
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