It appears that Marek Hamsik has lined up a £25m transfer bid to move to Manchester United come January.
The form of veteran former England midfielder Paul Scholes, plus the fact that Ryan Giggs is not getting any younger has convinced Sir Alex Ferguson of the need to bring in a top notch quality replacement to bolster what is perceived by some critics to be United’s biggest weakness, midfield.
With interest from Liverpool and Chelsea as well, the signing of Hamsik would add attacking ability to Manchester United’s midfield. The Slovakian international started his career with Slovan Bratislava but quickly showed his quality to persuade Brescia to snap him up. Managing to score 10 goals at Brescia from the midfield before being lifted from the team for 5.5 m Euros to move to Napoli.
Since 2007, Hamsik’s efforts in Serie A have established him as one of the best midfielders in the world. Managing to score 25 goals in 81 games Hamsik’s form has been some of the best in the league. Recently Hamsik scored twice as Napoli recorded their first win over Juventus in Turin for 21 years and his performances have impressed many experts in Italy, who have been quick to label the Slovakian international as the best midfielder in Serie A.
Hamsik’s efforts for his national team Slovakia have been extremely impressive. He has been the driving force behind the countries qualification for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa and he is being touted as being one of the major stars to emerge from the tournament in the summer.
Interest and a big offer from major teams may not be enough however with sporting director Riccardo Bigon stating:
“Manchester United are after Hamsik? If we rejected the rumours regarding a friend like [Carlo] Ancelotti and his Chelsea, it is obvious we also reject these rumours.”
These comments have since been substantiated by Napoli chairman Aurielo De Laurentiis who confirmed:
“Many clubs have requested Hamsik, it’s true, but he will stay with us for the long-term”
Whether this stance will soften in the summer, when United hope to make their move, remains to be seen. Napoli’s short budget will defiantly play a factor in their decision to keep Hamsik or to sell him if a good offer is made.
Chelsea’s desperation to buy players may push any deals between the two clubs away. With Carlo Ancelotti given the go ahead to spend £25m on a player by Roman Abramovich in January. However with Chelsea set to be banned from transfers from February, it seems likely that the Blues will only be able to make a move for Hamsik during the transfer window and as such, the Londoners could gazump United’s own plans for the midfielder many pundits feel is cut from the same cloth as Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.
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