Japan's Keisuke Honda on Juventus transfer rumours: Not a bad thingThe Samurai Blue star spoke with the Japanese media about a rumoured move to Turin and
reports suggest the Italian giants are closing in on his signature
Keisuke Honda has revealed he's pleased to be associated with a big club like Juventus following speculation of a move to Italy.Sports Nippon reported on Tuesday that the Turin giants were in negotiations with Honda's Russian club CSKA Moscow about a possible move to Italy.
The Japanese star returned to his homeland on Tuesday as the Russian Premier League takes a summer break and spoke with Sports Nippon about the rumours of a move to Juventus.
"Nothing has been decided yet, but maybe you can actually tell me something about it," joked the 25-year-old midfielder, who seemed in a much better mood than when he left for Russia a few weeks ago.
He added: "Frankly, I think it is not a bad thing when my name is associated with a big club.”
Sports Nippon spoke to an unnamed Juventus management official who said the club was keen to ensure the deal went through and suggested it could be confirmed this week.
"We'll do all we can to bring Honda to Turin. Once a few things that need to be worked out are taken care of, we might announce the transfer in the next days," said the Juventus official.Honda was also asked about his impression of Serie A and mentioned Hidetoshi Nakata and Yuto Nagatomo, but also said that his strongest memory was 'Zidane at Juventus', a comment that surely will win him some points among the Bianconero supporters.
Honda concluded on a positive note, reflecting back on the dispirited words he used at the very same airport after the Kirin Cup on his journey back to Russia.
"I kind of feel I am out of the tunnel [and], just as before, my will to pick up a challenge at a higher level hasn't changed," said Honda.
Sports Nippon infers that the price tag on the Samurai Blue's midfielder should be around ?10 million, and if the negotiations between Juventus and CSKA will succeed, the player might fly directly to Italy after his vacation in Japan.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/14/asia/2011/06/29/2552388/japans-keisuke-honda-on-juventus-transfer-rumours-not-a-bad
