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.
Manchester is not alone in regards to Hamsik, both Chelsea and rivals Liverpool have shown interest in the star midfielder. 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 joining Napoli in 2007, Hamsik has established himself as one of the finest box to box, goalscoring midfielders in Serie A. His impressive record of 25 goals in just 81 games bears comparison with some of the finest midfielders in Serie A and there are many strikers who would be proud to boast a similar strike rate. 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 performances have been equally impressive for his national side, Slovakia. His efforts were a major part in Slovakia’s entry into the World Cup in 2010. He may well re-write world cup history.
Riccardo Bigon however has stated over the last few weeks that they have no intention of selling the player.
“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. Whether Napoli really plans to keep Hamsik into the future only time will tell, with not a lot of cash in the club it can be hard to see them not be at least tempted to sell the player if the offer is right.
Chelsea’s desperation to buy players may push any deals between the two clubs away. Roman Abramovich has purportedly given manager Carlo Ancelotti the green light to make a £25m move for the player so they might beat Manchester United to the punch
