Milan-Ibrahimovic Latest: Barcelona Striker Ibra Asks For 24 Hours To Make Up His Mind; Galliani Confirms Permanent Deal Is Only Option; Robinho Backup Option After Agreeing To Join Milan
- Two hour meeting clears haze.
- Only permanent deal is available.
- Ibra prepared to accept wage cut. Raiola confirms this.
- Galliani remains confident of closing deal.
- Robinho has agreed to join Milan, and is a backup option if Ibrahimovic falls through.
By Salvatore Landolina
Aug 26, 2010 6:19:00 PM
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Adriano Galliani - Milan (Getty Images)
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UPDATE 17:15 CET: Sky Sport 24 reports that Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has asked Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani to give him 24 hours to think about the Rossoneri's offer.
Milan's move for Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has proved dark, deep and delicate so far, but Adriano Galliani hopes to shine new light following a second round of talks with the Catalan giants and agent Mino Raiola.
An air of tension is surrounding Camp Nou after Raiola blew the deal off course earlier, claiming Milan and Barcelona were "far" from reaching a deal.
But, aware of the difficulty of the move, Galliani remains confident and undeterred by the agent's claims and he is ready to prime the move for refinement amid the very latest reports that Ibra could take a cut in wages which have so far held the deal hostage.
In fact Galliani has been spurred on by the player's will to join Milan after reportedly falling out with coach Pep Guardiola who has become frosty towards the Swede.
That strain could push a move towards a conclusion, but only after the bureacratic wheels behind Barcelona president Sandro Rosell's offices start turning.
"The player wants to join Milan," Galliani told Marca.
"Barcelona are waiting to see, but the operation is difficult because of the player's wages."
Galliani has options to work with according to Sky Sport Italia who claim Ibrahimovic is considering a wage reduction - a contrasting stance to what Raiola previously said when he claimed his man would not accept less equity.
Italian voices claim there is room to salvage and prolong talks, despite opposition from the agent.
These include a one year loan deal with the option to buy him permanently, a two year loan with the right to buy permanently, or a permanent transfer from the outset.
But, Galliani has now reacted to the hypothesis, claiming there will be no loan deals, just a permanent one.
After the meeting he told journalists: "Both Barcelona and Milan have clarified their respective positions and at this point we are working on a permanent deal.
"No loan, the road is long and I can say a deal can be concluded with 50 percent chances. I want to clarify that Marco Borriello is not for sale, but there is a deal for Huntelaar."
That has left Raiola to revise his position as the deal heads towards positive developments with a four year contract likely for the striker.
"There are things on the table, we understand everything now. Will he take a pay cut? No-one is, but in some cases it can happen."
Raiola and Galliani are now expected to meet the player to discuss personal terms later after receiving the go-ahead from Rosell.
"Galliani is free to negotiate terms with the player," said Rosell.
Raiola's confirmation that his man could take a pay cut to complete the move adds further weight to Milan's side of the scales.
Meanwhile, in a sensational addition to Milan's market, Sky Sport 24 claim that Robinho has agreed to join the Rossoneri after Ariedo Braida met the Brazilian on Wednesday, suggesting an alternative is being touted. Galliani has since confirmed this. "Robinho is the alternative," he said.
Galliani will stay in Barcelona to negotiate until the final day of the transfer window as he continues to push and shove, hopeful of bagging the Sweden striker.
UPDATE 16:00 CET: Ibrahimovic's agent, Mino Raiola, has declared that whichever club between Milan and Barcelona fails to include the Swede in their ranks for next season, they will prove, in his opinion, to be the unhappy team.
Raiola stated, "There will be a happy team and another poor devil.
"The poor devil will be the one that loses Zlatan, because, and in this I am not objective, they will without doubt have lost the best player in the world in his position."
End game!
