Krzysztof Piatek is reading little into talk of interest from Barcelona, but a Genoa striker dubbed ‘the new Robert Lewandowski’ is aware of the mounting transfer rumours.
The 23-year-old forward is only a matter of weeks into a new challenge opened in Italian football.
He signed a four-year contract with Genoa over the summer after securing a switch from Cracovia.
Piatek has opened the 2018-19 campaign in impressive style, netting eight times in just four appearances to date.
Those exploits are reported to have sparked interest from Camp Nou, with Barca monitoring the progress of a man drawing comparisons to an illustrious countryman at Bayern Munich.
Piatek has “heard” of the speculation, but is reluctant to talk himself up or a potential big-money move to Catalunya.
He told Sky Sport Italia: “That start of the season has been good, but I’m not thinking about it [the speculation]. I look forward and I’m already focused on the next match against Lazio.
“I can’t be compared to Lewandowski - he plays for Bayern Munich, myself at Genoa.
“I don’t think the links with Barcelona are true, even though I’ve heard about it…
“If I have any secrets, it’s simply that I try to improve, giving my best in training. With the coach Ballardini, we’ve agreed what my position on the field is. I know exactly what I have to do.
“I asked [Dawid] Kownacki, [Bartosz] Bereszynski and [Karol] Linetty for information before I came here. I already knew it would be a fantastic move for me.”
Piatek enjoyed a prolific 2017-18 campaign for Cracovia, netting 21 times, and departed the club having found the target on 32 occasions in 65 appearances.
Those exploits earned him a place in Poland’s preliminary World Cup squad, but he did not make the final selection for Russia.
He has, however, returned to the fold during the current campaign, with a senior debut made during a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland during the recent international break.