AC MILAN vice-president Adriano Galliani claims Ronaldinho has rejected a lucrative offer from Manchester City, despite the English club offering twice what the Italian giants can.
Milan and City have both vigorously pursued the signature of Ronaldinho after Barcelona announced they were open to offers for the Brazil playmaker, but the Rossoneri are short on cash and have admitted they cannot compete financially with City's of
fer.
However, the player himself has said publicly that he would prefer a move to Milan or even Chelsea, and Galliani claims he has made good on that claim by turning down a higher wage – reportedly up to almost £200,000 a week – from City to focus on a move to Milan.
"Ronaldinho has rejected the offer of Manchester City despite them offering twice as much as we can," Galliani told Italian newspaper La Stampa. He said the main stumbling block in any deal to bring him to Milan would be Ronaldinho's wages, not the transfer fee.
"He is not in the plans of (Barcelona coach Pep] Guardiola, so he has a more favourable price," Galliani said. "But the problem is the wages. For us to be able to afford him, the transfer fee would have to be close to nothing."
Galliani has raised the possibility of signing the 28-year-old on loan in order to make the deal more affordable, but admitted: "It depends on Barcelona."
Milan have hinted at financial problems this summer, repeatedly stating that they can only afford to make one major signing and that they are unable to compete with major clubs in England and Spain for the top players.
However, they have resisted any urge to sell players, despite what Galliani described as an "astronomical offer" from Chelsea for Kaka.
Milan have also been linked with Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor, but Galliani admitted the club's financial situation made a deal unlikely.
"Adebayor is thinking about Milan, as are (Didier] Drogba and Ronaldinho, but if I let Barcelona take him, it's not because I'm crazy," he said.
"It's difficult to compete with those who are making more money than you and who benefit from a more advantageous tax system. A year ago, Milan offered (Thierry] Henry the same money as Barcelona, but in Spain he takes home 50 per cent more. In the 90s, we stopped Marco van Basten from going to Barcelona and were able to bring in Jean-Pierre Papin too. Things are less competitive now. Arsène Wenger has told me he wants 45 million (£35.63million], which is an impossible amount."
Brazil manager Carlos Dunga believes Ronaldinho will play for AC Milan next season as that is the player's wish.
"Ronaldinho wants to go to Milan," the Brazil coach told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. "And it is the players who determine transfers. The Rossonero club has all the good cards in their hand."
Questions have been raised of Ronaldinho's fitness after he appeared to have gained weight while recovering from a thigh injury in Brazil last month, but the player will intensify his training ahead of his likely selection to represent Brazil at next month's Beijing Olympics.
"He has been training already," Ronaldinho's agent and brother, Roberto De Assis, was quoted by the O Dia newspaper on Sunday.
The full article contains 553 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
