When Marek Hamsik signed for Napoli in 2007 on a €5.5 million deal from Brescia not many knew the spiky-haired youngster. However 12 years later the Slovakian leaves Italy as a bonafide star after giving his all at the Naples outfit.

Hamsik was one of the players Napoli signed after regaining promotion to the Seria A after spending some seasons in the lower league as a result of bankruptcy. He quickly became a fans favourite becoming the top scorer of the club for two consecutive seasons as Napoli sought to consolidate their stay in the league.

Napoli captain Marek Hamsik is not giving up on the Serie A crown despite dropping behind Juventus for the first time in 12 matches. The Naples outfit have had a poor week which has included a thumping 4-2 defeat at the hands of AS Roma, and this was allowed by a goalless draw against Inter Milan on Sunday night.

Napoli captain Marek Hamsik praised the patience shown by his Napoli teammates as they clinched a 1-0 victory over Atalanta on Sunday. The Naples outfit have not had a fond time with Atalanta in previous seasons, but they made sure of another three points which maintains their lead at the top of the standings.

Atalanta had done the double over Napoli during the previous campaign, and they continued to emerge as a bogey team for the league leaders this season after beating them 2-1 in the Coppa Italia quarter-final earlier in January. As a result, the Slovakia international was pleased to have got the win over the line versus Atalanta, and he is anticipating a similar commitment for the rest of the season, he told the club's official website: "I had a fever a few days ago and only joined up with the team on Saturday.

Just as with every other transfer window, midfielder Marek Hamsik continues to be linked with several clubs.

This time around, Premier League giants like Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing the Slovakian international. Since Napoli are not doing too well in the Italian league, the 27-year-old may finally decide to leave.