English Premier League: Mascherano’s agent says Inter deal will be easy
Argentina’s defensive midfielder, who currently plays for the premier league club Liverpool, was a target of a Barcelona bid last season but this season the present European Champions Inter Milan want Mascherano in their lineup for next season’s new challenges.
Mascherano also captained Argentina during the FIFA 2010 World Cup, a tournament in which Argentina impressed early on but lost in the quarter finals to Germany by four goals to nil. However, Mascherano’s performances were excellent throughout the tournament. He also became the youngest player ever to captain Argentina, at the age of only 26.
Before the Argentine squad for the World Cup was announced, their manager Diego Maradona said that Mascherano will be a sure fixture in the squad because Argentina’s lineup is always Mascherano plus ten other players. This statement signifies the importance of Mascherano to Maradona, who was a wonderful player himself back in his day.
Mascherano is currently under contract at Liverpool. He joined the club on a temporary loan move from West Ham which later became permanent after Mascherano signed a contract with the Merseyside giants. Last season Mascherano played forty-five times for Liverpool, in all competitions. Despite his excellent displays, Liverpool only managed to finish seventh in the English Premier League.
Their failure to capture a top four spot in the league meant that there will be no UEFA Champions League football for the players at the club, in the subsequent season. More lately, Mascherano’s agent has told the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport that, Mascherano has not spoken to the new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson or with any other Liverpool officials.
He also said that Mascherano was on a holiday right now but the Argentinean player was happy to be a target of top clubs around Europe. He also added that last season it was Barcelona who wanted his client and this time it is the current European champions Inter Milan from Italy.
Walter Tamer also told the Italian newspaper that Mascherano’s transfer link with Inter is a part of a possible dream move for the player. He further added that Inter are the strongest team in the World right now and that a lot of Mascherano’s compatriots play for the Milanese club as well. He also emphasized the point that Rafael Benitez, who was previously managing affairs at Liverpool but is not in charge at Inter, has a personal bond with Mascherano.
Mr. Tamer went on to say that if it was up to only Mascherano, the negotiations with Inter would be very easy but he said that his client is currently under contract for a further two years with Liverpool. In case of a possible transfer, Mascherano’s agent told the newspaper that both the clubs will have to reach an agreement first.
Walter also stated that last season Liverpool’s ex-manager Rafael Benitez turned down a lot of transfer money from Barcelona to keep Mascherano at Liverpool. He also said that this transfer window however, is different from the last season.
When he was asked about Mascherano’s possible buyout clause in the contract, he told the Italian newspaper that He was not aware of any such clause. He concluded by saying that he is awaiting a call because in case the transfer goes through, he is the only person authorized by Mascherano to speak about it, on his behalf.
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