The Polish striker is eager to challenge himself elsewhere and his current manager concedes he’ll be a tough player to replace
Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted Arkadiusz Milik “wants a change of scenery” as the star forward eyes an exit.
Milik’s current deal expires at the end of 2020-21 and the Poland international is no closer to signing an extension amid links to Serie A champions Juventus, La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid and Premier League side Tottenham among others.
As speculation mounts over Milik – who has scored 37 league goals since arriving from Ajax in 2016 – Gattuso was asked about the 26-year-old following Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Genoa.
Editors’ Picks
- Watch out Vardy! Relentless Salah not giving up Golden Boot chase
- ‘Never call me again!’ – How furious Klopp was snubbed by Hamburg before Dortmund & Liverpool success
- ‘Not good enough’ – Chelsea defenders running out of time to prove worth to Lampard
- Liverpool’s Jones following Greenwood, Foden and Saka as Premier League breakout star
“It’s difficult to find someone better than Milik,” Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia post-game.
“However, when a player believes his time at a club is over and he wants a change of scenery, you have to listen to him.
“You can’t try to keep someone against their will, or it’s difficult to get them to listen or have the right mentality. You have to respect the wishes of the player.”
While Milik is nearing a departure, Napoli are reportedly trying to sign Lille star Victor Osimhen as his replacement.
Osimhen has been touted to join Napoli, with reports suggesting he has met with president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Gattuso.
The 21-year-old has flourished in Lille after arriving from Belgium’s Sporting Charleroi at the start of the season, scoring 18 goals across all competitions.
On Osimhen, who has also been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, Gattuso said: “He’s different, but I don’t want to talk about that. If and when Osimhen joins, then I’ll explain the changes.”
Napoli claimed a 2-1 win over Genoa on Wednesday with Gattuso’s side rising to sixth in Serie A ahead of a crunch match against AC Milan on Sunday.
Article continues below
“I am happy with the game, although we could’ve done better at the start of the second half, which reminded me of the way we lost to Atalanta,” Gattuso said of the win.
“We’re pleased to be doing well, but still have areas where we need to improve. The objective is to create a strong, winning mentality, playing a certain type of football. We must prove that we can play well for 95 minutes.
“The table says we are 12 points off Atalanta, but there are great players here and we cannot be that far away from them. That means we should look at the Serie A table every day and think about what we did wrong, what we did right and what we can do better.”
