Inter midfielder Piotr Zielinski has opened up on how Jurgen Klopp flew him in via a private jet ahead of a move to Liverpool in 2016 that fell through
Inter midfielder Piotr Zielinski has opened up on how Jurgen Klopp flew him in via a private jet only to see himself priced out of a dream move to Liverpool. And the Poland international said the then Reds manager’s charm offensive centred around describing him as a mix of Cesc Fabregas and Ilkay Gundogan.
Zielisnki was being lined up to become one of Klopp’s first significant transfers at Anfield in the summer of 2016 with the Reds looking to bring the midfielder in from Udinese prior to signing Gini Wijnaldum.
According to the Nerazurri star, Zielinski was being talked up by Klopp as a combination of Arsenal and Barcelona legend Fabregas and current Manchester City star during their conversation.
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However, the deal fell through when it was claimed the Serie A side were demanding too much for the transfer fee.
And Zielinski has now opened up on how his meeting with Klopp went when they initially chatted about moving to Merseyside.
Speaking to Foot Truck for a sit-down interview on their YouTube channel, Zielinski recalls: “Jurgen Klopp invited me to his house. Liverpool sent a private jet to pick me up.
“Klopp told me that for him I am a mix between Fabregas and Gundogan. I didn’t understand anything, but then my agent, who spoke German, told me everything.
“When we were leaving I managed to take a photo with Klopp who was at the door and said goodbye. They were offering €18.5m, but Udinese wanted something more.
“However, Liverpool couldn’t cross a certain limit with me because I wasn’t a top player yet. The other side of the coin is that I didn’t feel like one either.”
Liverpool eventually signed Wijnaldum from Newcastle United for around £25m, with the Netherlands midfielder going on to win the Champions League and Premier League with the Reds in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
