Salernitana President Danilo Iervolino confirms there is ‘a very good chance’ of signing Krzysztof Piatek from Hertha Berlin after his Fiorentina loan spell. ‘I was all ready to sign at the start of this week.’
The relegation battlers only managed to secure their Serie A status in the final minutes of the season, having completed a comeback from rock bottom in February under coach Davide Nicola.
They are now determined to reinforce the squad and avoid a similar desperate situation, which includes bringing in a star centre-forward.
“There is a very good chance of signing Piatek, it’s a very real possibility,” President Iervolino told Radio Bussola.
“The transfer market can be difficult to understand, as players are often guarded as they wait for other proposals, or don’t choose based on a tactical project or lifestyle. At times, their decisions leave me quite perplexed.
“I like Piatek, but I am also looking at other top players and we want to give the coach as many reinforcements as possible in place for the opening games.
“What I can say is that Piatek would gladly come to Salerno, it’s not a matter of the salary, but rather the attitude of the club that currently owns him. Our ideas are clear, evidently Hertha Berlin are still trying to see how to get the most out of their investment.”
The 27-year-old Poland international was purchased from Milan in January 2020 for €24m, but struggled to make an impact in Germany.
He was loaned to Fiorentina in January, managing six goals in 18 competitive games for the Viola, and is still looking for somewhere to recapture his former glory.
“It all seemed to be done at the start of the week, I was ready to sign the contracts, then other clubs stepped in, as often happens when we’re tracking a player.
“So if it’s not him, it will be someone on his level.”
Iervolino also confirmed he would like to put together a super partnership upfront of Piatek with Emiliano Bonazzoli, who was already on loan at Salernitana last season.
There was bad news this week with Matteo Lovato sustaining a serious ankle injury just days after his €7m transfer from Atalanta.