Van Der Vaart: I Am Ready For Juve

Hamburg midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart has admitted that he is ready to join Juventus. The 24-year-old playmaker joined the Bundesliga club in 2005 but is now desperate to test himself in a stronger league.

He seemed all set for a move to Valencia in the summer, however Hamburg scrapped the deal at the very last minute.

Van der Vaart is tied to the Germans until 2010, however due to a special clause in his contract he will be able to leave the club a year earlier for just £1m.

Hamburg are thus almost certain to sell their prized asset at the end of the season and a number of Serie A clubs, including Inter and Juventus have been linked.

Yesterday the Bianconeri were associated with a swap deal including Argentine flop Sergio Almiron, who has been a huge disappointment in Turin since signing from Empoli.

Either way it seems that Van der Vaart is ready to sign for Claudio Ranieri’s men if they come in with a serious offer.

“I will only leave Hamburg for a big club, such as Juventus,” said the Dutchman.

“If the Italian team were to make a serious offer, I would pay attention to it and I think that Hamburg are ready to do a deal.”

www.goal.com - 13/12/2007 12:56