Brescia president Gino Corioni has revealed Napoli star Marek Hamsik was rejected by Italy's biggest clubs.

The Slovakia international is now a big-money target for Europe's greatest, but it wasn't always the case.

Corioni revealed: "I offered Hamsik, in 2007, to three clubs: AC Milan, Inter and Juventus, but they turned him down.

"It's evidence that many officials at clubs do not understand football. Italian clubs believe that a player is good only if he plays for Real Madrid.

"We're the only one to invest in youth - which is also the only way to make money from football."