Liverpool: €73m Serie A duo ‘could have’ signed for Klopp’s side as agent details two failed transfers | OneFootball

Napoli's Piotr Zielinski and Lazio's Daichi Kamada.

According to an Italian agent, Liverpool were previously in the race to sign Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Lazio’s Daichi Kamada.

The Reds – who are fifth in the 2023 Premier League net spend table – were busy during the summer transfer window as they spent around £150m to overhaul their midfield.

Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch were recruited, while Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moved on during the summer.

The summer window was a stressful one for Liverpool supporters as they missed out on Jude Bellingham and Moises Caicedo but their new additions have made a positive impact as Jurgen Klopp’s side have made a strong start to this season.

It was well-known during the summer that they were planning to sign at least two/three new midfielders so they were linked with loads of players across Europe as the window progressed.

Zielinski – who is valued at €35m by transfermarkt – was among their reported targets but he did not end up leaving Napoli.

The 29-year-old is out of contract in 2024 so his future is in doubt. Agent Gianluca Di Carlo has revealed that he “could have gone to Liverpool two years ago”.

“Given that the Zielinski deal seems easier to do for free, in June, than in January by paying him for the Italian clubs,” Di Carlo told Sport Italia (via Sport Witness).

“However, we are talking about a player who could have gone to Liverpool two years ago. He has matured perfectly because of the right path he did: from Poland, to Udinese, with the move to Empoli, then Napoli where he arrived after becoming important in Friuli.

“He is a classy player about whom there is not much to say: that he plays at Napoli, Juventus, Inter or Milan, he is strong.”

Japan international Kamada meanwhile joined Serie A outfit Lazio on a free transfer earlier this year after his deal at Eintracht Frankfurt expired.

Di Carlo believes Liverpool were in the race to sign him before “Lazio sniffed out the deal”.

“The player was on a free transfer and many clubs had gone for him: Milan, Liverpool, Benfica, Real Sociedad,” Di Carlo added.

“The Rossoneri changed management and I understand that there were no longer any references for the agreements that had been made.

“Lazio sniffed out the deal and the entourage immediately liked the idea. Not without the interference of many clubs. After all, we’re talking about a player who would normally be worth 27-28 million euros.”