Sir Alex finds van der Sar successor; Hamsik extends Napoli contract

Sir Alex finds van der Sar successor

Sir Alex Ferguson has been impressed with Atletico Madrid keeper David De Gea and he sees the young Spaniard as the true successor to Edwin van der Sar.

The Manchester United boss skipped his side’s Carling Cup match against Scunthorpe in order to watch the 19-year-old keeper in action against Valencia, with an excuse that he came to Spain to spy on United’s next European opponents.

Ferguson also brought goalkeeping coach Eric Steele with him and the pair was so impressed by De Gea that United are already preparing the bid to sign the player in January.

United are set to offer €14 million for Atletico hotshot but los Colchoneros will not settle for less than €25 million, which is the exact amount of his release clause.

Ferguson, nevertheless, faces stiff competition from clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona and Milan, who are also keeping tabs on one of the biggest prospects in Europe at the moment.

[Source: Daily Mirror]

Hamsik extends Napoli contract

Despite being one of the most sought after players in Europe, Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik has opted to sign a contract extension with the Serie A outfit.

The Slovakia captain has been the subject of interest from big European clubs, but he seems to be perfectly happy to stay at Napoli.

“I am very happy with this renewal,” he said. “I have always said that I am very happy in Naples. It’s a city that I love and I feel it’s my own,” said Hamsik.

“There is great feeling with the club. There is an important project and all of us want to realize big objectives.”

The club president, Aurelio De Laurentis did not hide his delight as he managed to hold on to his star player.

“I am happy that Marek wanted to tie himself even more to the blue shirt. His renewal is a demonstration that Napoli want to grow together with its talents to reinforce and to project our plan towards those objectives that our fans deserve.”

There is no doubt this will be a big boost for everyone at the club and the fact Hamsik rejected offers from around the globe to remain at San Paolo just goes to show that Napoli remain one of the biggest clubs in Italy.

[Source: Napoli]

Van Gaal set to commit to Bayern

Louis van Gaal is expected to sign a one-year contract extension with Bayern that will see him remain at Alianz Arena until 2012.

The Dutch coach took over at Bayern last summer, signing a two-year contract that is set to expire at the end of the season.

Having led the Bavarians to the Champions League final and the domestic double last term, Van Gaal is expected to remain on the bench for at least another season, with the club officials confident the boss will sign a contract extension.

“I do not want to discuss this as there is not much to say. I am pretty confident he will stay,” said Bayern president Uli Hoeness.

Even though his unconventional coaching methods were criticized at the start of his career at Bayern, Van Gaal managed to rejuvenate the team and led them to new heights last season, so it is little wonder the club officials are eager to keep him at Alianz Arena for as long as possible.

[Source: Bild]