Rummenigge: "We want Ribery to stay"

Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge gave an interview to Germain tabloid Bild.





Mister Rummenigge, for how many millions could Bayern let Franck Ribéry go?
We are totally relaxed and very proud to have one of the three best players in the world in our team.

Real Madrid would have ordered Zinédine Zidane to travel to Munich.
That is not correct. Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez and his adviser Pedro Jiménez have asked if we're willing to talk with them about a transfer. We have turned this down since we don't have any intention to sell Ribéry.

Did Pérez made a concrete bid?
No, but other clubs did talk about transfer fees.

Which clubs?
Chelsea has contacted us, as did Manchester United and Barcelona. We're very relaxed about it. Bayern Munich has the key.

Who has made the highest bid for Ribéry?
I cannot talk about fees, because that's not in our interest. And it's not a matter of money. The impression is given that Bayern Munich wants to drive up the price and that we're willing to let Franck go for a certain fee. So I will repeat it another time very clearly: we want Ribéry to stay.

You bought him for 25 million and you could now make a profit of 45 million. From a mercantile point of view, wouldn't it be wiser to let him go?
When you're only thinking about the business aspect, you could consider it. But football is more than business, there's also an emotional side to it. We didn't buy Franck two years ago to earn money but to make our team better. Now we must do everything to keep him in Munich. That's my firm decision.

Ribéry's agent on the other hand, seems to do everything to change your plans...
I don't know about that but they know our point of view. And when Zidane says that he has been talking with Ribéry, then I can only smile a little about that. FIFA rules forbid that. But we won't make a lot of fuss about it. For me it's about Pérez and he knows what we think.


Read more:
Laporta talks with Bayern president about Ribery
Barcelona planning six transfers
Poll result: Ibrahimovic or Ribery

Laporta talks with Bayern president about Ribery

German tabloid Bild claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has talked by phone with Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge about the transfer of Bayern Munich attacker and French international Franck Ribéry (26).

Although Bayern Munich officially doesn't want to sell Ribéry, the German club would be willing to let the player go if a bid of at least 60 million euro° comes in.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Ribéry is the absolute priority of Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola, the one transfer the coach reportedly demanded. Barcelona president Laorta would therefore have launched a new offensive for the Frenchman. Barcelona would try to include players, among which Alexander Hleb, in the deal.

Catalan sports paper Sport nevertheless claims that Barcelona has at this moment given up on Ribery because they don't want to pay the transfer fee asked, which could at least be 55 million euro plus a bonus. The club would hope that the asking price will drop in the coming weeks. Ribéry, whose contract with Bayern expires in the summer of 2011, would only be willing to consider offers from the Spanish league.

Read more:
Barcelona president talks with Ribery by phone
Barcelona planning six transfers
Total deal on Ribery transfer

Stuttgart cannot afford to sign Hleb

Asked about the rumours linking Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) with a move to Stuttgart (read more here), Stuttgart president Edwin Staudt has said in an interview with German tabloid Bild that it's unlikely the transfer will go through although he didn't exclude to sign the player on loan:

"I don't know if the transfer price is 12 million euro°, but with that kind of player, it's not only about the transfer fee, but also about the wage demands.

And although Stuttgart has a special place in Alex's heart, I cannot imagine that a player of his reputation and at his age would be ready to seriously lower his wage to come and play with us.

That is more likely to happen when one is near the end of his career. That's why you should see if it's better to buy him and offer him a contract for many years or if it's better to get him on loan for a shorter period with an option to buy him."

Read more:
Hleb does not want to leave
Barcelona planning six transfers
Lyon interested in Hleb

Henrique will return from Bayer Leverkusen

Asked about the future of Bayer Leverkusen central defender and Barcelona loan out Henrique (22) (read more here), Bayer Leverkusen sports director Rudi Völler has said in an interview with German tabloid Bild that the Brazilian defender will return to Barcelona at the end of this season:

"There will be some changes in our team. Henrique will for example return to Barcelona because Márquez suffered a serious injury and we signed Hyypiä to replace him."

Read more:
Barcelona plans few changes in the summer
How is Henrique doing at Bayer Leverkusen?
Henrique will start next pre-season in Barcelona

Stuttgart carefully considering Hleb option

Asked about the rumours saying that Stuttgart officials travelled to Barelona on Monday to talk about a transfer of Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alewender Hleb (28) (read more here), Stuttgart sports director Horst Heldt confirmed the trip in an interview with Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten but said it had nothing to do with Hleb:

"We did not have an appointment with FC Barcelona about Hleb. I can understand where the story is coming from but it's not true.

The thing is: Uli Ferber (Hleb's agent) needed to go to Barcelona urgently and we had important issues to discuss with him. Because otherwise we had to postpone our meeting, we decided to accompany him to Barcelona in order to be able to talk about some things in a calm way. So we did not meet with Alexander Hleb, I have not seen him, and we didn't have an invitation of FC Barcelona to talk about Hleb. I don't want to disappoint our fans but I don't want to give them false hope either."

Asked about the rumours, Stuttgart manager Markus Babbel nevertheless confirmed the interest in an interview with German tabloid Bild: "With this trip, we wanted to give Alex the feeling that we would want him very, very much to join us. But we're not the only club that is interested in him. It will be very difficult. Alex plays with the best club in the world."

Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung claims that Stuttgart will only be able to sign Hleb if they qualify for next season's Champions league or if they sell striker Mario Gómez. Barcelona would ask a transfer fee of around 12 million euro° and Hleb wants a salary of 3,5 million euro and wouldn’t be very tempted to move if Stuttgart only plays in the Uefa cup. Hleb would nevertheless still have many friends in Stuttgart, where he felt more comfortable than in London and Barcelona, and has always kept in touch with the club since he left for Arsenal in the summer of 2008.

Asked about a return to Stuttgart, Hleb meanwhile unconfirmedly said in an interview with german sports weekly paper Kicker that he doesn't plan to leave Barcelona at the end of the season: "Me back to Stuttgart? That is crazy. Barça is a world topclub and I'm not giving up. I want to learn the language and do everything that is needed to break through."

Read more:
Hleb still believes in Barcelona future
Bayern Munich and Stuttgart want Hleb
Barcelona following Stuttgart striker Gomez

Bayern Munich and Stuttgart want Hleb

German tabloid Bild claims that Bayern Munich and Stuttgart are interested in Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28).

Both German clubs want to bring Hleb, whose contract with Barcelona expires in 2012, back to the Bundesliga this summer. Bayern is considering to sign Hleb, whom Barcelona could have offered in the transfer deal for Bayern Munich player Ribéry (read more here).

Aware of the interest of Bayern, Stuttgart sports director Horst Heldt and Stuttgart financial director Jochen Schneider would have flown to Barcelona yesterday morning at 9:55 am with a Germanwings flight. They were accompanied by Hleb's agent Uli Ferber and are expected back in Germany today after having held talks with Barcelona on a possible deal.

Read more:
Bayern preparing a bid for Hleb
Total deal on Ribery transfer
Hleb still believes in Barcelona future

Lucky sausage didn’t help Bayern

German tabloid Bild claims that one of their journalists, Kai Traemann, had buried a lucky "Weisswurst", a traditional Munich sausage made from finely minced veal and fresh pork bacon, beneath one of the corner flags at the Camp Nou stadium before the Champions League game between Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

New sponsor deal Ribery causes transfer rumours

German tabloid Bild claims that Bayern Munich attacker and French international Franck Ribery (25) has signed a new sponsorship deal with sports supplier Nike.

Ribéry would have extended the contract that expires in 2010 until 2014, which was confirmed to the tabloid by Nike spokesman Olaf Markoff. The Frenchman would receive a fee of 1,2 million euro a year.

Bild claims that Ribéry could have broken a clause in his contract with Bayern that states that when his original deal with Nike runs out in 2010, he would have to change to Bayern sponsor Adidas if the German sports supplier offered him the same terms. Adidas could nevertheless have given up the race after a meeting between Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer and Alain Migliaccio, the agent of Ribéry.

Asked if Ribéry is preparing a move to a "Nike team" (read more here), Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the tabloid that this doesn't change the club's stand: "His sponsorship contract does not affect our contractual relationship with Franck Ribéry. Nothing has changed: we are not letting him go under any circumstances."

Read more:
Agent Ribery is pushing for a transfer
Henry could be put for sale in the summer
Deal with Ribery and pre-agreement with Bayern

Agent Ribery is pushing for a transfer

Asked about the rumours linking Bayern Munich attacker and French international Franck Ribéry (25) with several European top clubs among which Barcelona (read more here), Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has repeated in an interview with German tabloid Bild that the German club wil not consider to let the player leave:

"He has a contract for two more years with us and there's no buyout clause. And he and his family are feeling very good here. Only if we wouldn't be able to compete for the international trophies, he could change his mind and wish to leave. But that won't happen.

It's on the other hand clear to me that his agent is possibly interested in a transfer... Agents make money when there's a transfer, not when a player stays with the same club for many years. When Ribéry joined us, his agent received a considerable fee and I'm sure he wants to cash again. We should be aware of that.

Things will happen in the coming months. One of the questions for example is: what happens at Real Madrid? And what will the other clubs do with their money? If one club buys a star player, then his former club has millions to spend and will start to look around, possibly also in the direction of Ribéry. That's the domino effect.

We're not putting a price on his head. Our goal is to do all we can to keep Franck. But it will be a brutal fight. We will receive offers for him. So the most important thing for us will be that we don't have doubts and express ourselves in a clear way. Because if we allow things to be stirred up, his agent will grab his chance. But when we keep our stand until 31 August, when the transfer market closes, then we can speak about renewing his contract."

Read more:
Ribery transfer unlikely this summer
Bayern dismisses Ribery and Hleb rumours
Deal with Ribery and pre-agreement with Bayern

Bayern holds on to Ribery

Asked about the rumours linking Bayern Munich wing attacker and French international Franck Ribéry (25) with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said in an interview with German sports newsagency Sid that the German club isn't planning to sell the player in the summer:

"Ribéry will stay with Bayern Munich. You just have to look at the facts to know that. Franck Ribéry has signed a contract until 30 June 2011. And we are not willing to release him earlier. For no money in the world.

I won't react to what his agent would have said. I only notice that two weeks ago, Real Madrid was the team Ribéry supposedly wanted to join and now that Real hasn't done well in the Champions League 1/8 finals, the discussion suddenly goes in another direction. You see the picture? I think that some people are playing their own game here.

My friend Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, has me immediately contacted after some stories were published. He assured me and Bayern that there's no truth at all in these rumours. Neither the player, nor his agent, nor anyone else has been contacted by Barcelona.

Franck is dealing with the rumours in a totally correct way. He doesn't like the fact that his name is being used in headlines by domestic and foreign media over and over again. He wants to focus again and exclusively on his game and the targets he has set with Bayern."

Asked about the matter, Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer nevertheless said earlier this week in an interview with German tabloid Bild that he is concerned that Ribery is been pushing for an exit in the summer:

"It's always the same problem when a player wants to leave. When he puts a gun against the club's chest, you don't have a lot of choice. With Ribéry you could get the impression that he's lately acting with a certain goal in mind. But Bayern have been dependent on him for a long time now. Without him, we're not the same team."

Read more:
Hleb could be part of Ribery deal
Txiki talks about the summer transfer market
Barcelona denies deal with Ribery

Leverkusen wants to keep Henrique one more year

Asked about the rumour that Bayer Leverkusen central defender and Barcelona loan out Henrique (22) will have to return to Barcelona (read more here), Bayer Leverkusen sports director Rudi Völler has said in an interview with German tabloid Bild that the club wants to keep the player for one more season:

"I don't know anything about it, we keep on waiting and we'll do everything to keep Henrique until 2010. A decision will be made in the next four to six weeks. Of course it's clear that it will Barcelona who will decide on his future."

Asked if Barcelona central defender and Uruguay international Martín Cáceres (21) could join Bayer Leverkusen on loan if Henrique will return to Barcelona (read more here), Völler said that option is not on the table right now: "We sure know the player Cáceres. But we don't know anyhting about the possibility of him joining our team."

Read more:
Decision on Henrique's future next month
Caceres not thinking about January exit
Henrique to return and Caceres to leave on loan

Secret talks with Rakitic

German tabloid Bild claims that Barcelona would already have been holding secret talks with Schalke 04 attacking midfielder and Croatian international Ivan Rakitić (20) about a January transfer.

Asked about the rumour that Barcelona would be preparing a 14 million euro° bid for Rakitic (read more here), Schalke manager Fred Rutten is quoted as saying he doesn't know anything about the issue.

Read more:

Barcelona prepares bid for Rakitic

Vargas (Fiorentina) and Farfan (Schalke) monitored

Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04)

New Bayern manager Klinsmann wants Deco

German tabloid Bild claims that future Bayern Munich manager Jürgen Klinsmann has contacted Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30) to sound the player out on a possible summer move to Germany (read more here).

Klinsmann thinks that the team really need a type of player like Deco and his net salary of 5 million euro° would therefore not be a problem for the German champions. Bayern would be ready to offer Barcelona a transfer fee of 15 million euro°.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that teams like AC Milan (read more here) and Atlético Madrid (read more here) are also interested in Deco. Barcelona would want to start negotiations putting an asking aprice of 18 million euro° on the table for the Portuguese midfielder, whose contract expires in 2010.

Read more:

Deco could be new Bayern star transfer

Milan also wants Deco

Newcastle held first talks on Deco

Deco could be new Bayern star transfer

German tabloid Bild claims that Bayern Munich is interested in Barcelona midfielder Deco (30). Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has said his club will sign a first class player and the tabloid says that Deco is on the list, together with Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini and AS Roma defensive midfielder Daniele De Rossi. Bild claims that Hoeness was spotted in Barcelona on Thursday. The Portuguese international would at least cost 8 million euro°.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona will let Deco go if a good bid comes in. It's believed that the player is still rated highly by many clubs who could push hard fot the Brazilian born midfielder. Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid are rumoured to have Deco on their wish list and are expected to present an important offer. Asked about his club's interest in Deco, Inter president Massimo Moratti said yesterday that they are now focusing on winning the league and that they will look to the player's market later.

Madrid sports tabloid As thinks that the future of Deco in Barcelona is linked with that of Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard. The delicate relationship with the coach means the player will almost surely leave if Rijkaard would continue next season. With another manager on the Barcelona bench, Deco, who already thought about leaving in January but in the end decided to stay because he feels good in the city, will consider to be part of the new project and to start his fifth season in Barcelona.

Read more:
Inter and Juventus rival for Deco
Newcastle held first talks on Deco
Deco out? Diego in

Neuer focussing on Schalke

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Schalke 04 goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (21) told German tabloid Bild that he didn’t hear anything about the possible interest of Barcelona: “But if it would be true, I would be honoured.” Neuer, who would also be followed by Tottenham Hotspur, added that his heart is with Schalke and that he doesn’t want to waste thoughts on any other clubs at this moment.