Inter midfielder CONFIRMS Liverpool interest

Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat by Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Marando back in September 2022 won’t be remembered too fondly by Reds, for good reason.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone were joined in the demolition of Jurgen Klopp’s men by two Piotr Zielinski goals that day.

But it could have all been so different.

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Zielinski has revealed in an interview with Foot Truck that he once went to Jurgen Klopp’s house to discuss a possible transfer to Liverpool back when the Polish star was still at Udinese.

“Jurgen Klopp invited me to his house,” Zielinski described, “Liverpool sent a private jet to pick me up… When we landed, we took the bus to go to Klopp’s.” 

“The conversation was great.” he continued, “Klopp told me that I am a mix between Fabregas and Gundogan in his opinion.”

“They offered €18.5m, but Udinese wanted something more,” the Polish international said.

What would have happened with Zielinski in midfield?

Just how close the Klopp era was to having a Zielinski-sized difference is fascinating to think about. The midfielder played at Udinese until 2016 when he joined Napoli for a reported €16m. That same summer the Reds signed Gini Wijnaldum.

And that worked out sensationally, with a League and Champions League following suit. Whether Zielinski would have strongarmed the infamous comeback against Barcelona in the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals is anyone’s guess.

But with Klopp seeing Zielinski as a cross between Cesc Fabregas and Ilkay Gundogan, it was clear he had a plan for the Polish international at the heart of his midfield.

Zielinski now plays for Inter Milan, having signed on a free this summer after the expiration of his contract at Napoli. He has made five appearances in Inter’s nine games so far this season, including a significant shift as Inter battled to a 0-0 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad.

At 30 years old, the chances of Liverpool ever going in for him again are slim. But it’s interesting to think about the alternate history if he ever did end up on Merseyside.