Liverpool eye move for Napoli star as contract talks stall: Reports

Liverpool are reportedly interested in renewing their interest in Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski, who is currently locked in contract talks.

Zielinski, 28, has established himself as a regular starter at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium since arriving from Udinese for a fee of £12 million in 2016. So far, he has helped his side lift a Coppa Italia.

An all-action playmaker blessed with passing and shooting, the 89-cap Poland ace was linked with a permanent move to Anfield six years ago. After his impressive two-year loan spell at Serie A side Empoli, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp had expressed a serious desire to rope him in.

However, Zielinski opted to secure a switch to Gli Azzurri instead.

According to Il Mattino, Liverpool have emerged as a potential future destination for Zielinski with the Pole currently failing to reach a new agreement with Napoli. Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis is of the opinion that the midfielder's current £3.1 million-per-year salary is too high and would attempt to reduce it to £2.2 million-per-year.

Hence, the former Zaglebie Lubin man's future at Napoli is increasingly in the balance. Liverpool, meanwhile, are confident of convincing the player to seal a long-awaited permanent move to the Premier League.

Should Zielinski join Klopp's side in the future, he would likely become a first-team face for them in their 4-3-3 setup. While Jordan Henderson is considered to be past his best, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are set to depart on free transfers this summer.

Overall, Zielinski has scored 46 goals and contributed 41 assists in 309 matches across all competitions for the Luciano Spalletti-coached side.

Former Liverpool star urges his former club to sign Declan Rice over Jude Bellingham

Speaking to talkSPORT, former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann claimed that the Reds should prioritize signing West Ham United star Declan Rice over Borussia Dortmund ace Jude Bellingham.

"A player I'd like to see is Declan Rice. He's a player who can play there for the next five or six seasons. He gives stability, he's a leader and he gives other players the freedom and the licence to get forward. If you asked me, would I buy Bellingham for £120 million or Rice, who would probably be a little bit cheaper, for me it would be a no-brainer. With Bellingham, I feel the jury's still out," Hamann said.

Rice, 24, is in the final 16 months of his contract with the Hammers and is one of the hottest targets leading up to the summer transfer window amid several links to major clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.