Chelsea and Arsenal to fight for Napoli midfielder
Reports from Italy are claiming that both Arsenal and Chelsea are to bid for the Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik during the summer. The 23 year old has impressed this season and speculation regarding his future continues with numerous clubs highly interested.
Although it is believed that Chelsea would be favourites and will use the player as a long term replacement for the ageing Frank Lampard, it is also known that Chelsea would be able to beat any Arsenal offer for the player due to the funds available from their Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
The style of Hamsik though would suit Arsenal much more than at Chelsea and would be an ideal playmaker to have in the absence of Cesc Fabregas although whether the two would be able to fit well into the same eleven remains a fantasy for the time being.
The beginning of the season saw Hamsik being valued at almost £20m but with the market somewhat unsteady and with higher prices being paid for the likes of Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres it could be possible that the Slovakian’s price will be reduced to the £15m mark.
Should Napoli decide to allow Hamsik onto the summer transfer market it is likely to alert numerous Champions League teams with Arsenal and Chelsea likely to face competition from the bigger Italian and Spanish clubs. It was also rumoured earlier last year that Manchester United were also interested in the Slovakian.
