NAPLES, ITALY - JULY 25: Arkadiusz Milik of SSC Napoli during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and US Sassuolo at Stadio San Paolo on July 25, 2020 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
According to Football.london, Everton are one of the clubs to show interest in out of favour Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik. The forward has been the subject of interest of many clubs such as Tottenham and Atletico Madrid. His contract runs out next summer and he has not featured at all this term.
Arkadiusz Milik is a 26-year-old Polish striker who plays for Italian club Napoli. He started his youth career at Rozwoj Katowice in 2009 and moved up through the ranks. In 2011, he moved to Gornik Zabrze.
Another move to Bayer Leverkusen followed in the coming year but due to a lack of game time, he was sent on loan to Augsburg in 2013. However, it was at Ajax that he started to get goals at a better frequency.
In two seasons for Ajax, Milik scored 47 goals and 21 assists in just 75 games. With numbers like those, Serie A giants Napoli came in with an offer in 2016, that Ajax were happy to accept. Milik was seen as a direct replacement for Gonzalo Higuain.
Despite injury setbacks, Milik has decent numbers for Napoli. He has 48 goals and 5 assists in 122 games. A veteran of the Polish national team, Milik has more than 50 appearances for them, scoring 15 times.
Everton did some good business in the summer bringing in the likes of James Rodriguez, Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Ben Godfrey and Robin Olsen. A revamped midfield worked wonders as Everton managed to nick 13 points from a possible 15 in the opening games.
However, as injuries and suspensions started to plague the team, they lost momentum and eventually fell back to familiar territory.
Amidst this topsy turvy season, there has been one player who has maintained his form. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 14 goals in 13 appearances across all competitions. Problem is, the team has no competent cover for him. With all respect to Cenk Tosun, he is not the same striker he once was.
Over the last few years, Milik has grown accustomed to a more squad role with Dries Mertens starting ahead of him. Now with Victor Osimhen’s arrival, he is further down the order and a move would suit him. With his contract expiring next summer, selling him now would be the best for Napoli rather than lose him for free next year.
This is a transfer that would suit all parties involved. Napoli would get some cash after spending on Osimhen. Everton would get an able striker who can be the second-choice to Calvert-Lewin or even a rotation option. For the player, it would be a chance to play in the Premier League and maybe a fresh start after a few injury-hit seasons for Napoli.