Midfielder Marek Hamsik it appears, has caught the attention of Alex Ferguson for the January transfer window.
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. Snapped up by Brescia after proving his skill with Slovan Bratislava. 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’s efforts in Serie A have established him as one of the best midfielders in the world. 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. 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 form for Slovakia has been equally 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.
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.”
comments from Napoli chairman seem to support the claim that Hamsik is not on the market.
“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. 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.
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 they might beat Manchester United to the punch
