Mino Raiola says he took Robinho to AC Milan
Mino Raiola, the outspoken agent of AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has said he helped Milan beat Spanish champions Barcelona to Robinho's signature this summer.
Raiola, who negotiated Dennis Bergkamp's €12million move from Ajax Amsterdam to Inter Milan in 1993 in his first major deal, has made a career of orchestrating sensational transfers for several of his clients.
Among Raiola's current clients are Manchester City's Mario Balotelli, Ajax manager Martin Jol and Barcelona full-back Maxwell.
Before Ibrahimovic's transfer to Milan, which reportedly saw Barcelona lower their buy-out fee from €60m to €23m, the Italian-born Dutchman took the player to Juventus, Inter Milan and Barcelona.
In every case, an internal conflict has preceded the striker's departure.
Raiola, who has been accused of stirring up controversy to land favourable deals for his players, has now said that he helped Milan land Robinho's signature in August.
"I took Mario Balotelli to Manchester City and I bumped into Robinho," the 43-year-old told Italian TV programme
Premium Calcio on Mediaset.
"He told me that he wanted to leave the English club. He said that if I took Ibrahimovic to City then he knew for sure that Barcelona would then sign him. I told the player to stay calm."
Convinced Adriano Galliani to visit Robinho
After Ibrahimovic was loaned to Milan this summer, Raiola urged Adriano Galliani, Milan's vice-president and CEO, to show his interest in the Brazilian by going to see him in England.
"I then took Ibrahimovic to Milan before telling Adriano Galliani that we had to leave for England. We thus beat Barcelona and got Robinho. That is how both Ibrahimovic and Robinho transferred to Milan."
Some have criticized Milan's attacking lineup for its over-abundance, as it includes, apart from Robinho and Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Pato, Filippo Inzaghi and Ronaldinho.
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