ROBINHO, THE Brazilian forward who is negotiating a loan move to either Sao Paulo or Santos, has no intention of returning to Manchester City in the summer, despite Roberto Mancini expressing his hope that the most expensive player in English football can play a part in the club’s future.
As a four-man delegation from Santos held extensive talks with City officials yesterday over a loan deal until the end of the season, Mancini was speaking of his hope that a reinvigorated Robinho would see the move as only a temporary step and subsequently return to the Premier League after this summer’s World Cup.
“I remember a similar situation with Adriano,” the City manager said. “He had some problems in Milan, he went back to Brazil for six months and now he is playing well – he will play in the World Cup probably and is scoring many goals. It is possible the same can happen here because if Robinho goes to Brazil and plays for Santos or Sao Paulo and plays well and goes to the World Cup I think he can then come back here and be happy. I haven’t given up.”
Robinho, however, wants to remain in Brazil or move to Spain and his advisers will try to resuscitate a deal with Barcelona, who are long-time admirers of the player. The 26-year-old is under contract until 2012 but he has become so disillusioned at City, and has formed such a bad impression of Manchester, that he has made it clear he does not consider a return to England to be an option.
Santos are now so confident of re-signing the former Real Madrid player that they are selling shirts through their official online store with his name on the back. The club’s vice-president, Odilio Rodrigues, and a lawyer, Joao Feijo Gazolla, flew into Manchester yesterday to join two marketing officials, Armenio Neto and Eduardo Musa, for the latest round of negotiations with City’s chief executive, Garry Cook, and the club’s football administrator, Brian Marwood.
The deal hinges on Santos attracting enough sponsors to be able to afford Robinho’s wages. Contrary to initial reports, the player is not as keen about lowering his £160,000-a-week salary as he had suggested.
Sao Paulo have the same issue but they have also sent a delegation to Manchester, despite acknowledging that Santos are in a stronger position financially.
“We’ve been contacted by agents from England saying that Roberto Mancini would like Robinho to move to Sao Paulo because we have a bigger international profile and will play in the Libertadores Cup, which would be more effective in bringing his value up again, which is exactly what they want,” one of the Sao Paulo directors, Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva, said.
“From then onwards, Sao Paulo got interested. We’ve had representatives in Manchester since Saturday.”
Robinho favours Santos but City say it is a matter of which club has the funds in place. “Santos is way ahead but Sao Paulo will be in the Libertadores and, perhaps, Robinho may want to play that competition,” the Sao Paulo president, Marco Aurelio Cunha, said.
Guardian Service
