Newcastle United Make Contact For £110k-p/w “Creative Spark”

Newcastle United have made contact to enquire about a summer deal for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski, according to reports.

What’s the latest on Zielinski to Newcastle?

The Poland international arrived at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium back in August 2016 and has since gone on to become an integral member of the first team, making 322 appearances to date.

However, the 28-year-old’s contract with Luciano Spalletti’s side is set to expire at the end of next season, meaning that the upcoming window will be the Serie A giants’ final opportunity to cash in should they not want to risk losing him on a free transfer in the future, and should he move on, he’s already got a potential suitor waiting for him in the Premier League.

Last month, Sky Sports Italia expert Gianluca Di Marzio credited the Magpies with an interest in the £110k-per-week ace and claimed that his club would be willing to sell him this summer should they receive a “good offer” – and it seems PIF have already pounced on the opportunity.

According to Il Mattino (via Spazio Napoli and Sport Witness), Newcastle have “already made the first moves” to sign Zielinski and are “lurking” amid an attempt to secure his services upon the conclusion of the current campaign.

Meanwhile, it is believed Napoli are hoping to get him to sign a new three-year deal and commit his future to them, but that “all depends on the offers” that he receives from willing bidders. The Premier League is reportedly “very attractive to him”, and whilst there are other unnamed admirers, Eddie Howe and his outfit are the only ones to have specifically been mentioned.

Where would Zielinski fit in at Newcastle?

Newcastle are yet to replace Jonjo Shelvey, who permanently joined Nottingham Forest in January, so should Zielinski put pen to paper over the summer, he could be an ideal successor at St James’ Park.

Napoli’s “creative spark”, as labelled by journalist Josh Bunting, has 17 goal contributions (ten assists and seven goals) to his name in 41 appearances across all competitions this season, but the stats also suggest he’s constantly looking to make the magic happen in the final third.

The World Cup participant, who is regarded as a both-footed player, has recorded 102 shot-creating actions and 86 crosses since the start of the term, ranking him the second-highest player for both statistics throughout the squad, as per FBref, so he could be a wonderful central midfield threat to have at Newcastle if he was able to replicate those numbers in the Premier League.