According to Calciomercato, Arkadiuz Milik wants to leave SSC Napoli when the winter transfer window opens after being left out of the Serie A and Europa League squad. The 26-year-old hasn’t made an appearance in any competition as he’s fallen behind Victor Osimhen, Andrea Petagna and Dries Mertens in the pecking order.
Milik wanted out of the Stadio San Paolo over the summer, but no deal materialised and now he’s desperate to find a new club in January. Everton were previously linked with the Polish international and may need a replacement for Moise Kean as Paris Saint-Germain have a buying option attached to his loan deal, so would Milik be a good trade?
What’s gone wrong for Milik at Napoli?
The 26-year-old joined Napoli from Ajax in 2016 and has gone on to make 122 appearances in all competitions, scoring 48 goals with five assists. Milik made 35 appearances last season and scored 14 goals, but his future was up after he turned down the chance to extend his contract.
The Polish striker is in the final year of his deal, so Napoli gave him an ultimatum – sign a contract extension or be sold. They need to cash in as soon as possible rather than lose Milik for nothing in 2021, but they rejected all approaches over the summer.
Reports suggested a deal was agreed with Juventus and a medical was scheduled at AS Roma, but Milik stayed at Napoli and is now on the periphery. With Everton sitting top of the Premier League table while having James Rodriguez and Allan in the squad, they have a good chance of luring Milik to Goodison Park.
Why might Kean be leaving?
There may be a need to replace Kean in January or next summer. The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Paris Saint-Germain for the season, but the defending champions have the option to turn his move permanent.
Kean has scored four goals in as many games since joining from Everton, so are PSG considering keeping him in the French capital beyond next year?
The fact we allowed them the option to sign Kean means we aren’t overly fussed about retaining his services, so we might be better off eyeing replacements.
Milik was on our wishlist over the summer, so is he worth a punt?
In other news, how is Nikola Vlašić getting on at CSKA Moscow?