The agent of Napoli midfielder Walter Gargano has revealed how the Uruguayan slipped through the net of two Serie A rivals.

"Before I took Gargano to Napoli, I did offer him to a number of other Italian clubs," agent Vincenzo D'Ippolito noted.

"That included the likes of Juventus and Fiorentina. I pushed hard, in particular, for Fiorentina but it didn't come off.

"All of the Italian clubs basically rejected him by insisting that he wasn't suitable for the Italian game.

"However, Napoli sporting director Pierpaolo Marino had faith in him and today he is a first team player for the San Paolo side."