All Spanish and Catalan media seem to agree that Barcelona will pay the buyout fee of 14 million euro° for Sevilla midfielder and Mali international Seydou Keita (28).
Catalan sports paper Sport claims that future Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola repeated during a four-hour meeting on Monday with Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain and Barcelona sports vice president Marc Ingla that Keita is vital for his project (read more here). It is expected the transfer can be completed in the next week. If the deal can be closed in th coming days, Keita could be presented on Sunday. On Monday the player will leave Spain for the Malian national team.
Sevilla president José María del Nido said on Tuesday to journalists that his club doesn't think about lowering the fee but seemed to accept that the player will leave: "Several clubs are interested and we always say to them that the buyout fee is 14 million euro° plus VAT. I think it's very likely that clubs want to pay that clause. In fact some already have told me they would."
Catalan sports paper Sport says that Barcelona will nevertheless try to find an agreement with Sevilla, which should allow them not to pay the VAT, which is 16 per cent of the clause (in this case: 2,2 million euro°). VAT (value added tax) should only be paid if no agreement with the club is found and the buyout clause is used.
Sevilla officials met with Pascal Boisseau, the agent of Keita who lives in Barcelona, on Monday and offered the player a contract renewal that would include a higher buyout fee, but Keita prefers to wait and see what will happen in the coming weeks. Del Nido said those negotiations soon seemed to turn out negative: "It's impossible to talk with him about a rise of his buyout fee. When he arrived here for 4 million euro° it was already difficult to agree on that 14 million euro clause."
In an interview with French sports paper L'Equipe, Keita is still cautious: "I read in the papers that Barcelona is the main option. Ok, seriously: everybody knows they are interested. I would be sad for the fans if I had to leave Sevilla, but Barça is of course Barça... To hear that a club like that is following you, makes you very proud. We'll see. You should know I'm not the only one who should take the decision. There's a clause too. Anyway, we'll see what will happen in the coming days."
People from his entourage said to the French paper that Keita has clearly chosen Barcelona (read more here). His agent confirmed in an interview with Catalan radio station Ona FM that Barcelona is one of the preferred options of the Malian. Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that the player rejected last week a last-minute offer from Real Madrid.
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4 comments:
° 14 million euro =
22 million us dollar
11 million british pound
2,2 million euro =
3,6 million us dollar
1,8 million british pound
4 million euro =
6,4 million us dollar
3,2 million british pound
Nice of Madrid to stick their noses in there in the last minute. Somehow that doesn't surprise me. I have to admit Del Nido's a character. As much as I try to despise him because of his stubborness and refusal to back down, the more I find myself admiring him at the same time. I still think the 14mil buyout fee is a pretty good deal and value for the player. But knowing Del Nido I'm starting to have my doubts that we'll get Keita for that amount in the end.
If there's a clause, the player's off if the fee is paid. I think he's realistic enough for that. He agreed the clause last summer, so he should accept the consequences now. Sevilla can't really do anything against. The clause should actually by paid to the Spanish football association so they can be left out of the whole operation.
He can probablydo two things: make us pay the TVA plus playing it hard with the Alves transfer.
I don't really understand why he's so hard-headed lately. Before he didn't have much problems to let players like Reyes, Baptista or Ramos go. And his sports director apparently always find good (and cheap) guys to replace the ones who leave.
By the way, Del Nido has found his match: Le Mans don't want to sell Romaric (who should be Keita's successor).
For god sake. First secure the signing of Alves, instead of paying the buyout clause for Keita. That will only piss off del Nido even more when it comes to negotiate for Alves.
Txiki don't be a complete idiot, don't you dare to screw these deals now.
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