Newcastle United could revisit their interest in Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik in January after reportedly seeing a €25million bid rejected in the summer transfer window.
Milik is pushing for a move away from the Italian club after falling out of favour with manager Gennaro Gattuso and has attracted the interest of several clubs, including Roma, Everton and Newcastle.
The 26-year-old Polish international is yet to make an appearance for Napoli this season and is desperate to find a solution ahead of next summer’s European Championships.
Newcastle were previously credited with interest in Milik, but now Italian agent Vincenzo Morabito has claimed the Magpies actually had a £22.3m bid rejected by Napoli.
“Napoli has two problems with exits, the main one is Milik,” Morabito told AreaNapoli , as reported by Sport Witness. “They will try to earn a little something. In September there was a €25m offer from Newcastle (which was) rejected.”
Although Newcastle completed the £20m signing of Callum Wilson, who has since scored six Premier League goals, in the summer they could look to bolster their attacking options in the January transfer window.
Andy Carroll and Joelinton are both yet to score in the league this season and Milik could join Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud on Steve Bruce ’s transfer target list.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Roma currently lead the race to sign the Polish striker, who has already travelled to the Italian capital for talks and been offered a €5m-a-year contract until 2025.
Meanwhile, The Sun has reported that former Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti is ready to submit a £10m bid to sign Milik for Everton.
Milik is out of contract at the end of the season, so with plenty of interest in their striker, it seems likely Napoli will look to cash in on a player their manager has already publicly admitted is ready to leave.
“When a player believes his time at a club is over and he wants a change of scenery, you have to listen to him,” Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia in July, as reported by Goal .
“You can’t try to keep someone against their will, or it’s difficult to get them to listen or have the right mentality.”
Newcastle have been reliant on Wilson for goals this season, with the former Bournemouth striker netting six of their 10 Premier League games. The Magpies are 13th in the Premier League ahead of Saturday’s match against Chelsea.
