Sami Khedira Eyes Real Madrid Move
VfB Stuttgart midfielder Sami Khedira is desperate for his agent to return from holiday – as his touted move to Real Madrid appears to be back on track. It has been reported that the deal, which had been put in danger by the wage demands of Khedira’s agent Jorg Neubauer, still may be completed.
Neubauer had insisted that Khedira be paid a salary of 7 million euros a year, with the hope that a pre-agreement with Bayern Munich would force Madrid to accept his demands. But Bayern have refuted the reports that such a deal was in place and Khedira’s advisors have had to return to the negotiating table with much lowered stipulations.
It was said that contact has once again been made between Madrid and the 23 year-old player’s camp, and that Neubauer could push the deal through this week after his return from holiday. Discussions of personal terms are at an advanced stage and Real are hoping to secure the services of the midfielder from Stuttgart with a bid of 10 million Euros.
Life without talent
Meanwhile, Stuttgart manager Christian Gross is bracing himself for life without the talents of the defensive midfielder. He said: "Sami is very ambitious, when a big club comes calling, I understand. If Sami does go, we will look to Philipp Degen of Liverpool and Andre Ayew of Marseille."
Khedira joined up with the youth team of Stuttgart in 1995, and made 21 appearances for VfB Stuttgart II from 2004-2006, managing to score once for Stuttgart’s reserve team. In 2006, he was called up to Stuttgart’s first team by then manager Armin Veh. His first appearance for the senior side came quickly on October 1st against Hertha Berlin. Khedira bagged his first two goals for the team later that month in a match against Schalke 04.
Khedira has had a good start to life in club football, having scored 14 goals in 98 games for his team, a good record for a defensive midfielder. However, it is at the international level where the young player has made his biggest impact.
After appearing 30 times for German youth teams (including captaining the Under-21s to the 2009 European Championship in Sweden), the youngster made his debut for the senior national squad in September 2009 in a friendly match against South Africa. After an injury to German icon Michael Ballack, Khedira was named as part of the 23-man Germany squad, which took the 2010 FIFA World Cup by storm.
His strong defensive skills, tactical smarts and endless stamina made him a strong replacement for the former Chelsea player, while the withdrawal of Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes also helped him nail down a place in the team. Khedira was one of the starting 11 who faced Australia in Germany’s first match at the tournament, a game his team won after putting four goals past the Australian defence. He played in every game for Germany during the competition. In his country’s final game of the tournament, the third-place playoff match, Khedira scored the winning goal with a header in the 82nd minute. It was also his first goal for Germany.
As Real Madrid already have several holding midfielders, Khedira’s touted move could pave the way for one or more of the players vying for the position to leave. The most likely of those to depart looks to be 25 year-old Frenchman Lassana Diarra, who is rumoured to be interesting the likes of English Premier League (EPL) sides Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, along with Italian giants Juventus. EPL team Newcastle United are also reportedly interested in securing the services of 29 year-old Malian Mahamadou Diarra.
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