Liverpool Transfer News: Marek Hamsik Won't Be January Target for Reds

Reported Liverpool target Marek Hamsik told reporters he would love to stay with Napoli, though he refused to rule out the possibility of moving abroad, but the Slovakia international won't be a transfer target for Brendan Rodgers in January.

As reported by the Daily Express' Alex Harris, the midfielder stated he could see himself stay with the Partenopei for the rest of his career:

"

It is possible that I can stay at Napoli for my entire career, I am happy here but in football you never know.

As long as I am happy and I feel important I will stay here because I have no reason to change.

Each day I hear from the fans talk of the Scudetto - we have to try at all costs, but no-one will know if we can succeed - we have to wait.

"

The 27-year-old has been with Napoli since 2007, developing into the team's main creative outlet in the centre of the pitch. He formed a deadly triangle with Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi while they were still with the club, leading to widespread transfer speculation for the past three years.

Cavani and Lavezzi left for Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Hamsik as the main star until the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain. The Slovakian is still the face of the squad, however, and arguably the most influential player.

Blessed with technique, vision and solid athleticism, Hamsik is both an excellent distributor and a menace on the ball. He plays with a healthy mean streak and is always a factor in front of goal, not having scored less than seven goals for Napoli in Serie A since the 2009-10 season, per WhoScored.com.

Hamsik is a special talent, but he's not without his faults. He tends to beat up on lesser teams and disappear in big matches, and he often lets his temperament get the better of him, forcing passes into spaces rather than slowing down the pace of the game.

He was plagued by injury in 2013-14 but failed to truly convince when he was healthy, and his productivity has steadily fallen since the 2012-13 season, when Lavezzi left for Paris, per WhoScored.

There's a reason his name hardly came up during transfer discussions in the summer of 2014—he's just not as good as some fans believe. His highlight reels look impressive, but a lack of good showings in top matches brings down his value a lot.

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press

At Napoli, he's in the perfect situation. The Partenopei run their game through him, giving him free rein to roam the pitch and set the tempo. Whether he'd be able to adapt to new surroundings and a new role is anyone's guess.

The Reds may have been linked with a move for Hamsik once, per Harris, but after the summer of 2014, they no longer have a need for another attacking midfielder. Raheem Sterling is one of the best young players in the world at the position, and the likes of Lazar Markovic and Philippe Coutinho provide excellent cover.

All three are younger than Hamsik, who at the age of 27, has little room left to improve as a player.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

Hamsik is a solid player, and his pure scoring ability might offset the worries regarding his struggles in big matches. But as one of Napoli's most beloved players, he won't leave the club for cheap. The Reds have no financial worries, but they also don't have the ability to blow upward of £25 million on a player who might not even be a regular starter.

And that's assuming he would want to join Liverpool. As previously stated, he's in the perfect situation in Napoli. Unless there's some kind of falling out, he has little reason to leave the club after seven years.

A move for Hamsik makes little sense from the Reds' perspective, and it's doubtful the midfielder would be ecstatic to leave Napoli for an adventure at Anfield, either. The link between both parties might be there, but don't expect to see the colourful Slovak in Merseyside come January.

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