Midfielder Marek Hamsik it appears, has caught the attention of Alex Ferguson for the January transfer window.
The fact that Ryan Giggs is beginning to age, and the fact that veteran midfielder Paul Scholes will only have his name on old soccer kits soon has surely brought to Alex Fergusons attention that some expensive midfielders are required to boost the team.
With interest from Liverpool and Chelsea as well, the signing of Hamsik would add attacking ability to Manchester United’s midfield. Starting his career with Slovan Bratislava the Slovakian international quickly proved his ability and was bought by Brescia. 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 joining Napoli in 2007, the goal scoring efforts of Hamsik have made him one of the best in Serie A. Many strikers would be proud to boast a similar strikerate as Hamsik with 25 goals from 81 games. After giving Napoli their first win over Juventus in Turin in 21 years with an excellent two goals Hamsik has quickly became known as the best midfielder in Serie A.
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 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 this stance will soften in the summer, when United hope to make their move, remains to be seen. Napoli are not a particularly wealthy club and despite the chairman’s insistence that Hamsik is not for sale, it remains to be seen that if a firm offer was on the table that matched their valuation, whether they would be tempted into selling.
One factor which could scupper any deal however is Chelsea. Roman Abramovich has purportedly given manager Carlo Ancelotti the green light to make a £25m move for the player so. 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.
