La Liga Transfer News: Maicon's Real Madrid move halted & Mesut Ozil destined for Madrid in January
Brazilian defender Maicon’s alleged transfer to Real Madrid has hit another roadblock, after his agent hit out at the Spanish giants.
Maicon had earlier openly said that he wants to rejoin Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. Mourinho, for his part, had also expressed his interest in the South American defender. In general, it did look as if the deal was all but done.
There have been some major hindrances in the transfer, however. Maicon has been at Inter Milan and was part of the historic treble winning team under Jose Mourinho. Inter won their 5th consecutive Serie A title, followed by the Coppa Italia and capped it off by winning the UEFA Champions League after 45 years.
However, Inter and Real Madrid have not been able to settle over the transfer fee for Maicon. It is believed that Inter Milan has agreed to bring down the asking price of 28 million Euros, but Maicon is not ready to settle for a weekly wage of less than 7 million Euros per year. And it is believed that Real Madrid is not agreeing to the wages demand of Maicon.
Maicon’s agent Antonio Caliendo met Real Madrid officials, and came back with no significant developments. Antonio said that first of all, Maicon has no problems at Inter Milan and is enjoying his time there thoroughly. The agent added that the disappointing part is the attitude of Real Madrid, who are being stubborn in their approach and are not willing to sit down and have a proper talk regarding the wages of Maicon.
Antonio said that if a club like Real Madrid wants to sign a world class defender, the club has to make sacrifices in the contract. He said that this is not negotiation but domination, and this is not the way to do business. He said, however, that he expects Madrid to understand eventually and some good news may yet come by the end of the week.
Looking at some other transfer news in Spanish football, Luca Cigarini's transfer to Sevilla has been delayed for now. The player, who made his loan move from Italian (and Serie A) club Napoli, has suffered from a viral illness and would have to wait till he is fully recovered to complete the move.
According to Sevilla’s official web page, the midfielder has been advised to rest following a fever. The deal between Sevilla and Napoli was finalised on Monday: Cigarini would play one season on loan in Spain and Sevilla would have the option of signing the player at the end of the loan deal.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid continues to add to their star-studded team, and the newest star to join the list is the German Midfielder Mesut Ozil. According to Spanish media, the Werder Bremen player is all set to put pen to paper on a lucrative deal to join the Galácticos. However, the deal would have to wait till the next transfer window that will be in January 2011.
The midfielder attracted attention from all corners after a resounding performance in the World Cup in South Africa. He is currently in his final year of contract with the German club, and although Bremen are doing all they can to extend his contract, he seems determined to make a move to Bernabeu.
Many clubs were believed to be in contention to get the 21 year old’s services. Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona all were in the race. Ozil himself, though, has expressed his desire to move to Real Madrid and the deal, although does not look possible by the end of August, may still go through in January.
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