Only hours remain before the transfer window closes, and it’s still touch and go as to whether this deal will go through. Chelsea clearly have the money and will to sign this forward, although it appears that the Spanish champions have got hot and bothered about the way the Blues have approached their player. Will they continue to cling on to the Brazilian?
The Times reports that Real Madrid certainly don’t like it when the boot is on the other foot, accusing the west London club of unsettling Robinho. Of course, the Spanish giants could never be accused of doing this with, say, a Manchester United player!
Soon after the player held a press conference reiterating his desire to move to England, Real strongly criticised Chelsea for their interest in the 24-year-old, accusing them of attempting to force the player out, against Real’s will.
Chelsea rejected the criticism and are refusing to give up on signing the Brazil forward. They were working last night to salvage a deal before the closure of the transfer window tonight. Chelsea may feel entitled to accuse Real of hypocrisy, given the Spanish club’s unsubtle wooing of Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, which prompted Manchester United to complain about “public attempts to unsettle the player”.
It was only at the end of last week, when Real failed to sign a replacement forward, that Chelsea were given reason to suspect that the transfer was in doubt. But Real said yesterday: “We deplore the way Chelsea’s directors have acted, despite knowing perfectly well the decision not to sell the player, making statements and even going so far as to sell shirts with the player’s name on through their official website.”
Will Real’s obstinacy win the day, or are they just making life as difficult as possible for the Blues, before finally relinquishing Robinho? After all, it appears the player will be as much good at the Bernabeu as Dimitar Berbatov currently is at White Hart Lane, especially as he’s chosen to stage his own press conference to reiterate his desire to play in the Premier League.