BERLIN (AFP) - Hamburg's Dutch captain Rafael van der Vaart has been warned against a glamourous move to Italian giants Juventus by former German hero Uwe Seeler.

The Italians are reported to have offered 17 million euros (24.5 million US dollars) for Van der Vaart, 24, with a five-year contract, but former Hamburg idol Uwe Seeler, 71, has warned him to think hard about his options.

"Rafael should think hard about moving to Juventus," Seeler, a three-times German Footballer of the Year, told German tabloid Bild.

"In Germany, you can make good money and have a comfortable career. I would not like to be in Rafael's shoes."

Seeler retired in 1978 having scored 43 goals in 72 internationals for West Germany and stayed loyal to Hamburg, turning down transfers to Spain and Italy.