Keisuke Honda is flattered to be linked with Italian powerhouse Juventus, after reports this week linked the star midfielder to a Serie A move from CSKA Moscow.Sports Nippon reported on Tuesday that the Turin giants are in talks over a possible move for the 25-year-old. Speaking to the same source on his return to Japan during the Russian Premier League summer break, Honda said he is pleased to be linked with a move to a bigger league.
"Nothing has been decided yet, but maybe you can actually tell me something about it," he enthused. "Frankly, I think it is not a bad thing when my name is associated with a big club."
Honda, who helped guide Japan to the AFC Asian Cup title in January, further fuelled transfer talk by suggesting that the time was right for him to move away from the Luzhniki Stadium.
"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," he said.
Sports Nippon believe the midfielder will command a transfer fee of around 10 million Euros, and if a deal is struck quickly between the two clubs, the player may fly immediately to Italy after his vacation in Japan.
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ESPN