Barcelona’s 2020 failed swap deal exposed by Serie A star – La Masia stars were part of the offer

In an interesting turn of events, it has been learned that before Robert Lewandowski’s arrival at Barcelona in the summer of 2022, another Polish player, Piotr Zielinski, came close to making history as the first Pole to wear the Blaugrana shirt. 

This revelation emerged from a recent interview shared by the Polish midfielder himself. It turns out that in the summer of 2020, Zielinski was deep in renewal talks with Napoli, but Barcelona were also keen on securing his services.

At the time, Zielinski was attracting numerous offers from clubs both within Serie A and abroad. One of the most notable offers came from Barcelona, who proposed a swap deal. 

A swap deal was proposed

The plan was for Zielinski to join Barcelona, while a few young Barça players were to move to Napoli. 

“It was supposed to be an exchange,” he was quoted by SPORT.

Piotr Zielinski revealed Barcelona’s interest. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The midfielder explained that Barcelona had offered to send two or three players from La Masia to sweeten the deal. “Two or three players from La Masia players would go to Napoli,” he noted.

However, Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, decided to keep the talented Polish player.

When did it happen?

The negotiation, which took place during the summer of 2020, happened under Barcelona’s former president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. 

However, the deal never materialised, and Zielinski remained at Napoli, signing a four-year contract renewal. The interest from various top clubs worked to Zielinski’s advantage, allowing him to negotiate better terms in his new deal with Napoli.

Fast forward to 2023, after his Napoli contract expired, Zielinski finally made a move, but this time to Inter Milan. 

Although the Barcelona chapter never came to fruition, Zielinski’s career continued to flourish, showing just how sought-after he was, not only in Serie A but across…


Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelonas-2020-failed-swap-deal-exposed-by-serie-a-star-la-masia-stars-were-part-of-the-offer/

Author : Swapnil Bhopatkar

Publish date : 2024-10-12 05:00:00

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