Club Seventen Live

Napoli confirm Pandev interest

Napoli have revealed they are interesting in signing Goran Pandev from Serie A rivals Inter Milan, but face a stumbling block with his wages.

Napoli are coming off the back of a largely successful campaign, where they briefly challenged for top honours in Italy's top flight, before having to settle for third place.

However, the club are evidently on the rise and are preparing to give Inter and AC Milan, last season's champions, a run for their money once again in the 2011/12 campaign.

While Napoli have already taken a significant step in protecting the club's future by sealing a permanent deal for Uruguayan hitman Edinson Cavani, previously on loan from Palermo, summer arrivals are expected at the club, and president Aurelio de Laurentiis believes Pandev could be one of them.

"I really like Pandev and I think [coach Walter] Mazzarri also likes him, but a move depends on Inter," De Laurentiis told Radio Marte.

However, he admits Napoli will not be able to afford Pandev's wages, and would need to reach an agreement with Inter if the Macedonian international is to join the Azzuri.

"They [Inter] will have to pay us half his wages."

Pandev's agent Carlo Pallavicino also confirms contact has been initiated by Napoli, but that his client could stay at Inter in a bid to prove his worth to the Nerazzuri faithful.

"Napoli have asked me for Pandev and they like him, but he wants to confirm himself at Inter," Pallavicino told Radio Kiss Kiss.

Pandev only managed seventeen starts at Inter last season, but started nineteen games on the bench, and managed just five goals in all competition.

With the club sealing a permanent move for Giampaolo Pazzini in January, who went on to score eleven goals in seventeen Serie A appearances, Pandev's first-team opportunities are looking increasingly limited.

Saturday´s transfer round-up: Hamsik´s AC Milan move shot down ...

Marek Hamsik appears doubtful to get his preferred move to AC Milan, with the midfielder’s club Napoli more likely to deal with rivals Inter.

Hamsik played a key purpose in Napoli’s third-place finish in the 2010/11 Serie A season and successive Champions League qualification, scoring 13 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions for his club.

Having cemented himself as one of the league’s brightest talents, the 23-year-old revealed in La Gazetta dello Sport on Friday that he ‘cannot guarantee anything’ if AC Milan were to come calling.

Napoli boss Aurelio De Laurentiis replied in Corriere dello Sport on Saturday, slapping a 100 million-euro price tag on the Slovakian and divulgence he would be more likely to sell the player to Milan’s sour rivals Inter.

“He costs 100 million euros. Besides, if I unequivocally do have to sell Hamsik, I’d give him to Inter,” De Laurentiis said.

“(Milan vice-president) Adriano Galliani never asked me for him, since (Inter president) Massimo Moratti did and was very respectful about it.”

“He asked me 3 years ago for Hamsik, then two months ago enquired if anything had changed. I replied no, but I was tender by his attitude.”

“I betrothed to Moratti that if things do change, then Inter will have a arrange of dignified option on Hamsik.”

Udinese – an additional Serie A club scheming for the 2011/12 Champions League debate – have strengthened their squad with the constraint of Ivory Coast midfielder Thierry Doubai.

The 23-year-old has changed from Swiss club Young Boys Bern on a five-year deal and assimilated Brazilian executive defender Danilo Larangeira and French midfielder Abdoul Wahlid Sissoko as new signings at Udinese, who are still approaching to lose Alexis Sanchez to a big-money bid.

Fiorentina have also been active, securing 24-year-old Brazilian full-back Romulo for a reported fee of 2.5 million euros from Cruzeiro.

In the , Borussia Dortmund’s Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa has distanced himself from conjecture joining him to English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United.

Kawaga scored eight goals in seventeen games for German champions Dortmund before injury curtailed his campaign.

He stays rarely rated, with United said to be one club interested in appropriation his services. But Kagawa, 22, told Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung he is happy at the Westfalenstadion.

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