One of Marek Hamsik’s entourage has explained why the midfielder didn’t go to the Chinese Super League in the summer, saying no offer met the player’s £25m price tag or impressed him enough.
The Slovakian midfielder, 30, was said to have been tempted by a move to China, but a sufficient offer didn’t materialise. Hamsik will now be staying with Napoli, and the Partonopei captain will attempt to bring back the Scudetto for the first since 1990 in the coming season.
“In the summer market there weren’t adequate offers for a player of Marek’s quality,” Martin Petras explained on Radio Crc, via Football Italia.
“He’s put the transfer market out of his mind now, he’s fired-up and happy and he really likes his new role. There’s a good atmosphere both inside and outside the squad.
Hamsik was a key member of Napoli’s side under former boss Maurizio Sarri, forming part of his three-man midfield alongside Jorginho and Allan which saw the Partenopei push Juventus close in Serie A.
But following Sarri’s departure to take over at Chelsea, and Jorginho joining him at Stamford Bridge, Hamsik has reportedly been tested as a deep-lying playmaker by Ancelotti.
And, despite having been linked with a move to China early on in the summer, the Slovakian midfielder is ready to test himself in his new role.
“With Sarri, we parted normally,” he told Corriere dello Sport (via Football Italia).
“He sent me a message on the first day of our preseason training camp, asking me to share it with the team. He wished us good luck for the future.
“Change of role under Ancelotti? It’s something that intrigues me and makes me curious. I’ve fallen into it with interest and optimism.
“Can it prolong my career? I haven’t thought about that. When Ancelotti told me he wanted to try me out there, he gave me other stimuli.
“China? It wasn’t the first time this possibility existed. Let’s say it would’ve set my family up for life. I gave myself a date of July 9, the date of our training camp, and that if nothing had happened by then, I’d have let it go.
“After the European Championship two years ago, there had been enquiries. De Laurentiis? I spoke to the President about this offer from China in May. “I immediately branched out to him. We have a special and direct relationship. How he reacted? He said to me, ‘where on earth do you think you’re going? This is your home!’”
“A €25m offer for Hamsik? It’s not true, no-one went that far. The talk was only ever about €15m, maybe €20m spread over a few years, but De Laurentiis was always clear. “Beyond the transfer fee, which mostly concerns the club, no offer satisfied Marek.”
Last season Hamsik scored seven goals and made one assist in 38 Serie A appearances for Napoli.
Maurizio Sarri’s side ran Juventus close for the title but ultimately fell away, finishing four points off the Old Lady who were crowned champions for the seventh-successive time.
Having joined the club in 2007 from Brescia, Hamsik has made Napoli his own and become a key part of the club’s infrastructure over the past decade. The midfielder has played 501 times in all competitions for Napoli, scoring 120 goals and recording 110 assists.
He was named Napoli captain in January 2014, following Paolo Cannavaro’s departure to Sassuolo and is now synonymous with the Partenopei.
Napoli take on Liverpool on August 4 in a friendly.