Remember earlier today, when Valencia’s head coach Miroslav Djukic said “I don’t think so” about Roberto Soldado leaving Los Che? If not, go back and read up here, though within hours after posting Djukic’s view that Soldado “will continue with [Valencia],” that post was outdated.
Well, more augmented than outdated, with Valencia president Amadeo Salvo saying Tottenham is now very close to triggering the striker’s near-$40 million dollar release clause (€30 million). The big questions that remain: Are Los Che willing to compromise, something short of $40 million? Or are Tottenham willing to let the relative peanuts that are keeping the Spanish international from White Hart Lane serve as a line in the sand?
From The Guardian’s reporting:
“There has been contact during which Valencia have communicated [to Spurs] that we want the €30m,” Salvo said. “Tottenham’s mission is to get the player at the best possible price and Valencia’s [mission] is to get those €30m.
“There’s not much margin [for negotiation] now. For the deal to be closed, two things have to happen: for the lad to want to go and for the price that Valencia demand to be met. Then the board would study it.”
Did a president of a Spanish club really just call one of his players “lad”? Sorry, I got distracted.
As we discussed earlier today, €30 million is a huge number for Soldado when Álvaro Negredo just moved to Manchester City for around 75 percent of that price. And while Spurs chairman Daniel Levy isn’t known for paying over market for anybody, the fact that Salvo hints his counterpart is close to hitting the release clause says Levy may be willing to make an exception. The market for Soldado may not be €30 million, but that doesn’t mean Tottenham’s unwilling to pay that.
Sid Lowe’s reporting summarizes the situation:
But [Spurs’ director of football Franco Baldini’s] visit puts a different complexion on the situation. Spurs will resist paying €30m and their chairman, Daniel Levy, has a reputation as a tough negotiator, prepared for talks to become drawn out in pursuit of the right price, while Valencia’s financial crisis means that they have to sell. Soldado would follow David Silva, Juan Mata and David Villa in leaving the club.
If Spurs meet the buy-out clause, Valencia will be able to present the transfer as something that they were unable to prevent. Even if Spurs do not meet the official €30m valuation, the Spanish club believe that a deal is virtually inevitable now.
Lowe also reports that Spurs did improve their original bid, $31.6 million, while still coming short of Valencia’s asking price. Liverpool are also said to be interested, but putting puzzle pieces together, Soldado may be their Suárez contingency. They’re unlikely to pull off a swoop unless Suárez moves another foot out the door.
Ultimately, however, although there seems to have been some movement on this one, the same conclusion we wrote earlier today could be cut, pasted, and be just as applicable here:
If Valencia are intent on holding Soldado to that release clause, he’ll likely be in Valencia when the season starts. If, however, they’re willing to see the Negredo sale as a comparable, there may be some room to strike a deal.
