Mountinho and James Rodriguez sign for Monaco for €70m

[SkyBlueCanuck]

Looks like Monaco are pretty certain they'll win their fight against the hostility of the other French clubs - wasn't there talk of them being banned from the top flight because they're a tax haven and so can pay players much higher wages?

Edit: this is what I was thinking of - http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/may/02/monaco-paris-saint-germain-ligue-1

especially stuff like:

You get the picture: money is no obstacle. But hostility from other French clubs is. Because in late March they united to threaten to ban Monaco unless the club agreed to move towards greater financial equality – Rybolovlev may not be prepared to put in quite as much cash as PSG's Qatari owners have already done, but he does not need to because he has an advantage that no one else enjoys: Monaco's status as a tax haven. And that is what the other clubs have set out to abolish.

Monaco has always benefited from the principality's special status. The club pays far less corporation tax than its French counterparts and although an agreement means any French player whom the club employs must pay tax in France (though they can still benefit from a 20% reduction on national insurance), foreign players get to keep all of their earnings.

By way of comparison, where PSG reportedly have to fork out in the region of €30m per year to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Monaco could give the Swede the same take-home salary for an outlay of just €9m.

trying to wrap my head around what sort of logic French legislators employ when setting up their taxation rates... unbelievable.

 

[GHoddle]

So, if this is true...

Fourth Official ‏@FourthOfficial_ 11m
Porto wanted 70million euros for Rodriguez and Moutinho, so to avoid paying Sporting 25% sell on fee, sold Rodriguez for 69m and Moutinho 1m

Rodriguez becomes the second most expensive player of all time behind Ronaldo?

This seems just very difficult to believe, surely that's a lawsuit just waiting to happen? Also these are two very good players, but £70 million for the pair?! That's just ridiculous, I'm still not sure I believe this is true even though it seems to be reported everywhere.

 

[Syth]

So, if this is true...

Fourth Official ‏@FourthOfficial_ 11m
Porto wanted 70million euros for Rodriguez and Moutinho, so to avoid paying Sporting 25% sell on fee, sold Rodriguez for 69m and Moutinho 1m

Rodriguez becomes the second most expensive player of all time behind Ronaldo?

Hmm something..smells fishy here!

 

[BlueDejong]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.asm-fc.com/fr/actualites/equipe/accord-avec-le-fc-porto-pour-moutinho-et-rodriguez#.UZ9zYjIRFc8.twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.asm-fc.com/fr/actualites/equ ... c8.twitter</a>

[Official] AS Monaco sign Mountinho & Rodriguez

 

[Syth]

Tancredi Palmeri ‏@tancredipalmeri 2m
So the final fee is 70m € but no cheating: James Rodriguez has been sold for 45m €, Moutinho for 25m €

At least no fishy business there, but makes me wonder is James Rodriguez worth so much? :O

 

[sam-caddick]

Monaco looking to buy a whole new team by the looks of it.

Falcao and Valdes look likely to be added soon, simply unbelievable.

 

[thenabster]

One thing Monaco has now is talent. James Rodriguez, Ocampos, Carrasco on the wings. That in 2-3 years will be fire.

 

[greasedupdeafguy]

Monaco looking to buy a whole new team by the looks of it.

Falcao and Valdes look likely to be added soon, simply unbelievable.

Their average attendances are lower than 10,000, crazy stuff.

 

[MojoRisin]

£38.5m for James Rodriguez.. really? Makes Aguero look like a steal!

 

[Joehannes]

£38.5m for James Rodriguez.. really? Makes Aguero look like a steal!

They overpaid by about £10m, I reckon. It's what happens when teams like Monaco, and ourselves, need to make up ground quickly.

Reckon they got Moutinho at a fair price though.