Liverpool Transfer Miss Recalls Club Wanting Him Badly This Summer

There were rumors both in January and over the summer that Liverpool were interested in midfielder Piotr Zielinski. However, a deal failed to materialize and he ended up moving to Napoli for around £13 million last month.

In a recent interview, he was asked about Jürgen Klopp's interest in him and his eventual decision to play for Napoli. His answer was honest and shed light on Liverpool's transfer pursuit.

When the Reds pursued him in January, he said he almost came to Anfield.

"There were days when I was walking out of home, looked into my mobile and I didn't know what to do," Zielinski said, according to the Echo. "Everyone said, ‘Great offer, Klopp wants you, it's a fairytale in terms of finances'. All fine, but I wasn't convinced."

So he stayed on loan with Empoli for the rest of the season and waited for renewed interest in the summer. But Liverpool could not agree with Udinese on a transfer fee when time for renewed negotiations arrived.

"I knew that Liverpool wanted me badly and I knew they would return to the talks as I got that promise in January," Zielinski said. "It didn't work out for them with Udinese at the end."

Though Liverpool did not sign the midfielder, it was interesting to get an inside look at how behind-the-scenes transfer negotiations took place.