Real Madrid may sell Rafael van der Vaart
With Real Madrid having secured the services of highly-rated youngster Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen, reports have suggested that Rafael van der Vaart may be on his way out of the club.
Madrid have several players competing for the attacking midfield berth with Van der Vaart, Esteban Granero, Sergio Canales, Brazilian superstar Kaka – who is presently out injured – and new arrival Ozil.
Spanish newspaper AS reported that van der Vaart is concerned over his future and chances of seeing first-team action under new manager Jose Mourinho. Though he is said to be reluctant to leave the La Liga giants, the Holland international playmaker was seen talking to the head coach for around five minutes during a training session.
Second big challenege for Dutchman
Kaka’s arrival last year caused a similar situation for the 27-year-old, who was stripped of his squad number and not a part of the Madrid squad for their pre-season friendlies. He was later recalled into the squad by then manager Manuel Pellegrini and proved an able deputy for Kaka when the Brazil international was hit by injury.
After a strong spell at Hamburg, which led to Madrid signing him two years ago, van der Vaart is held in high regard among clubs in the Bundesliga and AS believes that he would have no problems finding a new club in Germany. Bayern Munich midfielder Arjen Robben was reported to have said that his international team-mate wanted to join him at the German champions, while several English Premier League clubs – including Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United – and Serie A giants AC Milan appear to be keen on recruiting his talents.
Van der Vaart has three years left on his contract and any club interested in buying him would likely have to shell out at least 15 million euros for his services.
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