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. He shone in Italy with Brescia scoring a hugely impressive ten goals from midfield and it wasn’t too long before Napoli paid over 5.5m Euros to take the player to the Sao Paolo.
Since 2007, Hamsik has established himself as one of the finest box to box, goalscoring midfielders in Serie A. Managing to score 25 goals in 81 games Hamsik’s form has been some of the best in the league. The Slovakian midfielder has quickly been named the best midfielder in Serie A by experts throughout Italy after his two goals against Juventus.
Hamsik’s efforts for his national team Slovakia have been extremely impressive. His efforts were a major part in Slovakia’s entry into the World Cup in 2010. He may well re-write the history of the soccer World Cup.
Despite interest in the player from Manchester United and Chelsea in recent weeks, Napoli have refused to sanction any idea that the player will be sold. This has been reiterated in recent weeks by sporting director Riccardo Bigon who stated:
“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 in Summer, Napoli maintain the same comments is yet 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 they might beat Manchester United to the punch
