Hitch in Alves deal as clubs wrangle over fee
Chelsea's attempt to sign Daniel Alves is in the balance today
after talks with Sevilla stalled. An agreement worth an initial
£21.5million was thought to have been close last night but the
Stamford Bridge club insist they never shook hands on a
deal.
Chelsea have baulked at Sevilla's demands and are prepared to walk
away if Alves becomes cup-tied by playing in the Champions League
qualifier against AEK Athens tonight.
The Brazilian wing-back was initially left out of the squad after
he told coach Juande Ramos he was in no condition to play, but his
eligibility for European competition appears to have become a
bargaining chip in negotiations.
A Chelsea statement said: "We have confirmed our interest in the
player to Sevilla but as yet there is no agreement." Reports in
Spain claim the proposed deal, which included an additional £3m in
performance-related payments, was vetoed by Roman Abramovich. If a
fee can be agreed it will represent an enormous profit for Sevilla,
who paid only £700,000 for Alves when they bought him from
Brazilian side Bahia four years ago.
Liverpool were favourites to sign the 24-year-old last summer, when
he was rated at around £12m, but he has since made it clear he
wants to move to Stamford Bridge. Real Madrid have also shown
interest during this transfer window but the Spanish club's main
target is Chelsea's Arjen Robben and that on-off move is expected
to get back on track if a deal for Alves goes through.
