Ronaldinho realizes it's over

Although this weekend there has been a lot of speculation and comments about the possible transfer of Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho (28) to Milan, the deal has not been closed yet and it's not entirely clear if it will be officially announced soon. An update.

1. Ronaldinho
2. AC Milan
3. Barcelona
4. Inter Milan
5. Other clubs
6. Transfer price

1. Ronaldinho
Roberto de Assís, the brother and agent of Ronaldinho, declared Saturday afternoon in an (unconfirmed) interview with Brazilian sports site Globo Esporte that the talks with Milan are actually just starting: "There is no real negotiation going on. What happened is that Milan has requested authorization to start talking with the player and that we had a first meeting." Roberto said a deal doesn't have to be expected soon, although the good relation between the parties could make things easier.

Saturday night, Roberto watched the Italian league game Juventus-Milan alongside AC Milan vice president Adrino Galliani. He told Italian television channel Italia 1 that his brother wants to join Milan and that he therefore will try to find an agreement: "But at the moment we are still at an early stage. We have asked Barcelona for permission to begin talks so that we can reach a deal. Now we are waiting for a response from them."

Roberto said yesterday an interview with French television channel Canal+ that the parties are coming closer: "Milan is enthusiastic about a possible transfer. Our positions have come closer, but you cannot say the deal is done. At this moment we still have a contract with Barcelona."

Meanwhile, Madrid sports tabloid As says that Ronaldinho is starting to realize his time in Barcelona is over, while he always had planned to stay until his contract expires in 2010, even convincing his brother who wanted to transfer Ronaldinho after the World Cup in Germany in 2006. People from the entourage of the player would have told the tabloid that Ronaldinho, who has disappeared from public life, is feeling "sad" and that he's going through some "bad days".

2. AC Milan
Milan vice president Galliani kept declaring the deal with Ronaldinho is in fact already closed: "When before we had a principal agreement, now we have an agreement. Barcelona has given us the permission to negotiate with the player and now that we have found a deal, we will return to talk with Barcelona."

Catalan sports paper Sport confirms that the deal with Milan is complete and claims that the Italian club wants to officially announce the transfer as soon as possible to please the fans after a disappointing season.

Milan general director Ariedo Braida said on Saturday that the transfer is "a done deal". It is believed that Ronaldinho will sign a contract for four seasons, until 2012, and earn 8 million euro a year (read more here).

3. Barcelona
Barcelona officials don't want to react to the latest developments (read more here). Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain said on Saturday that he doesn't want to talk about proceedings but only about facts.

Asked about a meeting last week between Begiristain, Roberto de Assís and a Milan representative (read more here), Barcelona sports vice president Marc Ingla seemed to confirm that meeting by saying: "It's normal that Txiki talks with people from the world of football."

Meanwhile, Catalan sports paper Sport reports that rumours are going around that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has allowed AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi to use Ronaldinho in his campaign for the Italian elections and that the whole thing has been a set up.

4. Inter
(this subject will treated in a separate contribution that will be published tomorrow)

5. Other clubs
Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Roberto de Assís has offered his brother to Real Madrid (read more here) as soon as Barcelona announced to him that they didn't count on Ronaldinho for next season. Real Madrid doesn't see Ronaldinho as a priority and is now first focusing on winning the Liga. If the player is still available after the season, they will look at the option.

Roberto would also continue to talk with English Premier League clubs Chelsea and Manchester City (read more here).

6. Transfer price
Media reports suggest that the transfer price could become a serious obstacle in the transfer process. Barcelona has rejected the initial Milan offer of 20 million euro and is asking 30 million euro for Ronaldinho (read more here). While leaving on a free transfer, like Roberto had asked in the beginning, doesn't seem an option anymore, Roberto and Milan still could consider to use the FIFA transfer regulations allowing Ronaldinho to leave for 16 million euro.

Catalan sport paper Sport claims that Barcelona is willing to be flexible but that they would prefer to receive at least 27 million euro, the price they paid to French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2003. Inter Milan would be ready to pay 25 million euro, Manchester City wouldn't mind to put 30 or even 40 million euro on the table in an attempt to win the race for the Brazilian star.

(read more on the Ronaldinho transfer story here)