EXCLUSIVE Romano: Why Hamsik move to Juve fell apart
Following a brilliant start to the season under new head coach Maurizio Sarri, it feels like Marek Hamsik’s Napoli nightmare belongs to a distant past.
Yet, just a few months ago, the Partenopei’s talented Slovakian midfielder was far from happy with Rafael Benitez’s tenure, with constant transfer talk linking him to a number of prestigious clubs, including Juventus.
Though it is well known that the Bianconeri option was a very real possibility for Hamsik (both Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis and Juventus Director General Giuseppe Marotta confirmed as much during the summer), calciomercato.com understands that Marek Hamsik’s agents were the ones who made the first move, seeing as their client had a bad relationship with the taciturn Benitez.
It was the Slovakian’s representatives who approached De Laurentiis last season, testing the waters over an eventual departure if a big offer was made and if the club failed to reach the Champions League (which it didn’t).
It is from that point that Juventus began to gather information, make calls and finally table two offers: the first for €17 million, and the second one for €20 million, ultimately reaching €24 million with all bonuses included.
A serious offer, then, and at least as determined as Napoli were to keep the Slovakian, despite his frustration at the coaching staff.
So what changed? In a word, Sarri. His arrival effectively put an end to any negotiation whatsoever, especially if the offer was seen as too low.
Whilst Juve and Napoli kept in touch over youngster Daniele Rugani (for whom the Old Lady had refused offers of up to €20 million from both Napoli and Arsenal), the former Empoli coach claimed Hamsik was “untouchable” in a meeting with his president, which eventually culminated in the Partenopei refusing to budge from August onwards.
Feeling important once more, Hamsik was more than happy to back his new coach’s project. Now, thanks for the former Empoli coach, Marekiaro is in sparkling form, and the club is in no hurry to work on a new deal, with the current one set to expire in 2018.
Fabrizio Romano
translated by Edo Dalmonte
