Hamsik priceless if Bale worth 100m: Benitez

Napoli coach Rafael Benitez has waded into the debate over the price Real Madrid paid for forward Gareth Bale by claiming his own creative midfielder, Marek Hamsik, is worth more. Bale signed for the Spanish giants from Tottenham Hotspur a little over a week ago on a six-year contract for a fee of around £80 million ($124 million, 94 million euros).

The price tag has caused ripples with some, including Real Madrid assistant coach Zinedine Zidane, who called it ‘incomprehensible’ in the current economic climate. Benitez, who took over Italian giants Napoli after leading Chelsea to Europa League glory last season, appeared to question the Wales winger’s price tag when he said Slovakian midfielder Hamsik was worth even more. ‘Is Bale worth the 100 million euros Real Madrid paid for him? If so, then I’d say you can’t put a price on Hamsik -- and he is not for sale,’ he said.

And in what is president Aurelio De Laurentiis’s 10th season at the club, Benitez is hoping to brings results. ‘We have a big squad and we’ll use 19, 20 for rotation.’