Honda keen on Lazio switch

CSKA Moscow attacker Keisuke Honda says he is still hopeful of a move to Italian side Lazio during the January transfer window.

The Japan international was in Barcelona this week, undergoing rehabilitation on his surgically-repaired right knee, and said he was still keen on a move to Edy Reja’s Lazio side.

“It’s true that I’m positive about a move to Lazio,” Honda told Japan’s Nikkan Sports. “The clubs are in the final stage of negotiations.”

“But I haven’t made a formal agreement with the club yet, and in today’s football world anything can happen up to the last hour of the transfer window.”

The 25-year-old, who has recently been linked to clubs such as Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, said the defensive style of play in Serie A was a large part of the league’s appeal for him.

“It’s no longer possible to say that Serie A is the best league in the world,” he said. “And compared to previous years the quality has definitely gone down.”

“But it’s still the hardest league in the world to succeed in as an attacker, with such stiff defending. As a challenge it appeals to me, personally.”

The most recent reports from Italian media indicate that in addition to a steep transfer fee, Lazio is prepared to send Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo to Moscow in exchange for the star.