Article Update (4.34pm 22/01/2013)
Despite interest in Sneijder Liverpool FC were seemingly unwilling to meet the players wage demands and he has officially joined Galatasaray…
Galatasaray have completed the signing of Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder from Inter Milan for a fee believed to be around the £8m mark.
The 28-year-old has penned a three-and-half year contract at the Turk Telekom Arena with wages estimated to be well in excess of £100k-a-week.
“It will be amazing and the atmosphere will be nice,” Sneijder told the club’s official website before signing.
“I can’t wait to go there and play my first game…
“I will make the Galatasaray fans very proud and very happy. I’m looking forward to meeting them and making a good life together.”
Original article
Weekend reports have suggested that Liverpool are interested in taking Dutch star Wesley Sneijder to Anfield but is there any truth in the rumours?…
Following the signing of Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea two weeks ago, all had been pretty quiet on the Liverpool transfer gossip front.
Sure, there have been a number of stories in the media repeating many previously linked names to the club, and negotiations with Blackpool over Tom Ince are understood to be continuing, but nothing new had really materialised.
That was until yesterday when some sources, including the Sunday People, linked the Reds with Inter Milan’s creative maestro Wesley Sneijder.
The 28-year-old is known to be on the market after talks with Inter over reducing his rumoured £180k-a-week salary failed. Subsequently the San Siro based side are reported to have accepted an £8.2m bid for the player from Galatasaray.
However, according to the reports, Sneijder is stalling on accepting the Turkish side’s offer because he would prefer a move to the Premier League and that has supposedly alerted Brendan Rodgers.
Speaking to Italian TV channel Sky Italia recently, Sneijder said: “All is well with me. I have an important decision to make, so I do not think there it will be made by Monday.
“There are still two weeks to go before the transfer window closes, so I have plenty of time. I am relaxed and I shall think about my options.”
The People believe Liverpool’s interest is strong enough for their managing director Ian Ayre to have even held talks with Liverpool’s Boston-based owners Fenway Sports Group to see if a deal is feasible.
Interestingly Ayre, although not wishing to comment on specific targets, did indicate in an interview with Sky Sports on Sunday that funds were available to bring in further players.
“Everyone who operates in January knows it is always a difficult window, but we will do what we can. We have got targets in sight and if we can resolve those great, if not then we will move onto summer and do what we need to do,” explained Ayre.
“We have got the right team behind this, right amount of effort and right level of investment and it is about getting the right deal that fits. That is the most important thing, lots of teams including Liverpool have seen some deals done in haste, or at the wrong time and we are not going to let that happen and we are going to manage that efficiently and properly and get the best we can get.”
Certainly there is no doubting the player’s pedigree, nor Liverpool’s need to add some extra creativity to their midfield, especially now the main priority of bringing in a new striking option has been fulfilled.
The story, also carried by both The Mirror and Metro, does suggest wages could be a stumbling block but given the transfer fee is extremely low, for the calibre of player at least, the issue is not thought to be insurmountable.
Sneijder, who currently has 90 caps and 24 goals for Holland, has won both Serie A and the Champions League during his time in Italy. After coming through the youth setup at Ajax the Dutchman moved to Real Madrid for around £23m in 2007 before joining Inter in 2009.
Vital Verdict
With all due respect to Sturridge, Ince and summer signings such as Joe Allen and Fabio Borini, it has been some time since Liverpool last purchased a player of undoubted world-class quality and reputation. Sneijder is one of the best around and certainly the type of player who would excite fans and get people talking. His wage demands may indeed scupper any deal should there been genuine interest from Liverpool, especially given the frugal way in which the club is now operated, but if you consider Steven Gerrard earns a reported £140k-a-week then there may be an outside chance that an agreement could be reached. In truth the link is very unlikely to become anything more than mere speculation but most people will forgive Liverpool fans from daring to dream.
Likelihood (out of 5):
Click here to see a roundup of some previous transfer rumours
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