After securing Gianluca Scamacca, West Ham are targeting another Serie A star as they have tabled an offer for Piotr Zielinski, who is also a fallback for Milan if their attempt for Charles De Ketelaere fell through. Neither side has come close to his valuation, though.
As per Alfredo Pedullà, the Irons have proposed €25M, while the Partenopei want €40M. He is not necessarily for sale, but he could leave for the right bid. He and Luciano Spalletti did not see eye-to-eye in the second half of last season. The coach often picked Dries Mertens over him. Things will change with the Belgian striker no longer at the club.
While West Ham are about €15M short for Zielinski, Milan like the player but are merely keeping tabs, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs. Considering the sum asked by Napoli, Hakim Ziyech is a much more credible and affordable alternative. He could join from Chelsea on loan with option to buy.
The Rossoneri have met Club Brugge again for De Ketelaere in Lugano today. They might include a sell-on clause in the package, Corriere della Sera reports. However, it appears that no progress has been made on his price tag, as per Gianluca Di Marzio.
Our Take on West Ham and Milan Pursuing Zielinski
The Pole slightly fell out of favor in the final months of last season, but the Azzurri might go back to a pure 4-3-3. They do not seem to be pursuing further attackers, while they are pretty stacked in the midfield, even though they have to sort out the Fabian Ruiz situation. In any case, the 28-year-old is tailor-made to play as box-to-box, while he tends to disappear as a no.10, making him a risky and improbable addition for Milan factoring in his cost.