TRANSFER NEWS:REAL MADRID have contacted several big clubs with a list of nine players they are keen to offload as they desperately seek to recover some of the €177 million they spent on Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. Arjen Robben and Ruud van Nistelrooy are among those for sale.
A fax has been sent from the Bernabeu which includes the names of the club’s Dutch players, as well as the former Manchester United full back Gabriel Heinze.
Robben and van Nistelrooy are joined by compatriots Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Royston Drenthe. The defensive midfielder Mahamadou Diarra and striker Javier Saviola have also been made available.
Madrid president Florentino Perez is nonetheless determined to continue spending. He wants to make a renewed bid for David Villa after negotiations broke down at the last minute with Valencia, whose president, Manuel Llorente, is furious at Madrid’s approach. Valencia want €45 million for the striker, but Madrid have refused to meet the valuation.
That late twist appeared to offer Chelsea and United a glimmer of hope in their pursuit of the Spain international – although a Barcelona director has admitted they, too, are in talks with Villa.
Madrid also want to sign a striker and will turn their attention to Diego Forlan should they fail to sign Villa. Although Madrid have appeared to boast limitless resources over the past week, the Spanish club are aware they have to sell in order to continue buying.
Madrid have set themselves a target of €118 million of incoming transfer fees to help fund an outlay that could reach €355 million.
The vast majority of the players to be offloaded have also seen their value drop at Madrid. Van Nistelrooy is one of the few to have enhanced his reputation, but he has been injured for eight months and will be 33 in two weeks’ time. He and Huntelaar are among Tottenham’s targets.
Although Robben has expressed his desire to stay at the Bernabeu, Madrid are especially determined to sell him because they consider him one of the few players who can command a huge fee, alongside Sneijder, who signed for €30 million from Ajax in 2007. Privately, however, Madrid doubt their chances of recovering the €43 million he cost from Chelsea.
Madrid would also consider loans. In total, Sneijder, Drenthe, Robben and van Nistelrooy account for €12 million a year in wages, while Diarra is on €3.3 million, Saviola €3 million and Heinze €2.3 million.
Meanwhile, Chelsea expect Ricardo Carvalho and Deco to join Internazionale this week, with the London club prepared to sanction the departures of the Portugal internationals for less than half the €33 million spent on recruiting them.
Talks are ongoing between the two clubs, but a deal is believed to be close, with Chelsea willing sellers and Carvalho and Deco keen to be reunited with Inter manager Jose Mourinho, whom they have played under before.
Both players suffered injuries and a loss of form last season, prompting concerns within Stamford Bridge that age – they are both 31 – is starting to catch up with them.
Carvalho has been an influential presence at Stamford Bridge for four of his five years at the club, but Deco, who joined last summer from Barcelona in an €9.5 million deal, faded badly after a bright start and managed only 22 starts in all competitions.
The exits of Carvalho and Deco could well be followed by the return of Glen Johnson, with the England international set to make a decision early next week as to where he will be playing his football next season.
Portsmouth are resigned to losing the right back and it is understood Johnson has dismissed interest from Manchester City and narrowed his options to a straight choice between Chelsea, whom he first joined from West Ham United in 2003, and Liverpool.
Liverpool are unlikely to compete with the €21 million Chelsea are believed to have offered Portsmouth, or the personal terms the 24-year-old can expect at Stamford Bridge, but Rafael Benitez remains hopeful he can convince Johnson to move to Anfield.
There is certainly little chance of him joining Manchester City, with Champions League football known to be a key motivation.
In the meantime, Inter hope to complete the transfers of Carvalho and Deco.
While few Chelsea supporters will shed a tear at the sight of Deco moving on, Carvalho was a key figure during the club’s renaissance under Mourinho and for a period was seen as a more steadying influence in defence than John Terry.
Yet he managed only 11 Premier League starts last season and struggled to displace the Brazilian Alex in central defence after recovering from injury.
Mourinho, though, believes Carvalho’s experience will be a key asset, particularly in European fixtures, while Deco has been identified as the ideal mentor for Philippe Coutinho, an exciting 17-year-old attacking midfielder who has agreed to join the Serie A club from Vasco da Gama and who plays in a similar position to the former Barcelona playmaker.
