De Laurentiis reveals failed Juve bid for Hamsik

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that Juventus failed with a €25million offer for Marek Hamsik during the transfer window.

The defending Serie A champions were on the hunt for attacking replacements after the departures of Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo, with Julian Draxler and Axel Witsel widely linked.

De Laurentiis confirmed Hamsik was also on Massimiliano Allegri’s radar, but that interest was quickly rebuffed and Juve opted for Hernanes from Inter.

“Juventus wanted Hamsik for €25m,” he told Radio Kiss Kiss. “I asked them for [Stefano] Sturaro and [Daniele] Rugani and they refused, they got Hernanes instead!

“This is a team which has kept its stars.

“We had offers totalling €98m, not including [Gonzalo] Higuain, not selling them is the same as if I had bought players worth that much.”

And having kept his squad together, De Laurentiis called for patience from the Napoli fans as Maurizio Sarri settles into life at San Paolo.

He added: “I have to laugh when fans want everything immediately, this year there’s a different style of play [under Sarri], the defensive line is very high and it takes a lot of energy.

“Our goals also depend on what the other teams do. Sarri may lose another five or six games, I knew when I chose him that it would take time, we can’t win everything right away.”