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SOCCER TRANSFER: CHELSEA’S ROBBEN TO BE SIGNED BY REAL NEXT WEEK August 5, 2007
(SomaliNet) Real Madrid are certain the long-running Arjen Robben signing will finally be completed next week.
Meanwhile, the Spanish giants are now planning a second swoop on Chelsea to lure Germany captain Michael Ballack from Stamford Bridge.
The pair could cost Bernd Schuster’s side £34million.
Sources at the Bernabeu say Schuster is confident deals could be in place for both players next week.
But a potential sticking point could be Ballack’s incredible £130,000- a-week salary — steep even for a club the size of Real.
The Spaniards have been chasing winger Robben for more than a year and are offering him a five-year contract.
Ballack is believed to be considering a three-year deal with the option of a fourth year.
Schuster is a big fan of Ballack as the former Bayern Munich ace is a dead-ringer for Schuster’s playing style in his Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid career.
The two players have been mere sideshows in Chelsea’s pre-season.
Madrid’s determination to capture Ballack seems to indicate he will return to the role behind the strikers which he occupied at Munich.
Schuster said: “I would be delighted if the club succeeds in signing me Ballack and Robben.”
The Premier League’s former top ref had a bust-up with Chelsea captain Terry . –The Sun