Valencia vice-president Fernando Gomez has
confirmed they have held talks with Manchester City regarding the
possible transfer of star striker David Villa to the Barclays
Premier League side.
Valencia are in deep financial trouble and admitted for the
first time last week that they may need to cash in on some of their
prized assets in a bid to ease their problems.
Spain international Villa, who is arguably the club's most
valuable player, penned a six-year contract with Valencia only last
August, tying the 27-year-old to Los Che until 2014, but it now
seems the Primera Liga outfit are resigning themselves to him
leaving.
When asked if he could confirm that Valencia chiefs had met with
two representatives from Manchester City regarding the sale of
Villa, Gomez said: "Yes, it's true but they didn't make us an any
offer.
"The president (Vicente Soriano) asked for a significant amount
and they didn't agree."
Gomez did not reveal in the interview on Spanish radio what
price tag they had put on Villa and his fellow Spain star David
Silva, but insisted they would not be short-changed for either
player.
"I think they are two very important players, with a lot of
quality and, if we sell them, we are not going to sell them on the
cheap," said Gomez.
He added: "I would like them both to stay. But we cannot discard
anything and any of them (the players) could leave at the end of
the season."