Los Bermellones in for nervous week
As we approach the final week of the Summer 2010 transfer window, Real Mallorca are facing a nervous time as Sevilla have put in bids for both Jose Nunes and Ivan Ramis, it is 50-50 whether Castro will remain at the club and Webo, Keita and Corrales are close to leaving.
Nunes visited the Son Moix to hold a meeting with owner Llorenzo Serra Ferrer to talk about his future after Sevilla made a formal bid. The club captain has been offered a new contract to extend his current deal which expires at the end of the new season, but due to the club’s financial status, they can’t compete with offers from other clubs.
Following the meeting, Nunes confirmed that he wants a speedy resolution. He stated, “it is true that there are offers. I am proud other teams want me, and I’m proud Mallorca want me to continue here. Serra [Ferrer] knows what I want, and I know what he wants. I just want to be happy where I am. I cannot say too much more.”
Sevilla, looking to take advantage of Mallorca’s financial plight, have also put in a bid for Ivan Ramis. Espanyol and Villarreal have also confirmed their interest in the Sa Pobla player. The club have informed the player’s agent that they want to extend his contract that is due to expire at the end of the new season, but Sevilla are in the best position to sign the him.
An area which the club are in definite need of reinforcements is up front. However, the administrators are blocking any moves for strikers until the futures of Pierre Webo and Alhassane Keita are finalised. If the two leave the club, Serra Ferrer will be allowed to sign a new striker. But Keita is currently refusing to sign a document which will send the player on trials at both Stoke City and Newcastle United of the Premiership. His £11,800 per week contract is causing headaches at the club and representatives are trying to ensure the transfer goes through. Meanwhile, Pierre Webo has had no firm interest and so could remain at the club for one more season.
Should the club’s administrators allow the signing of a new striker, the club seems likely to swoop for Welliton Soares. The 23-year-old Brazilian is currently playing with Spartak Moscow and has scored 13 goals in 14 matches in the 2010 Russian Premier League season. He has scored a total of 44 goals in 66 appearances in Moscow. Serra Ferrer is attempting to negotiate a one year loan deal with an option to purchase the player at the end of the season.
And one player integral to last season’s success, Chori Castro, is still yet to move on. But his language seems to be angled away from the club. His contract runs until the summer of 2012 but he has recently stated that if he receives a good offer he will leave the club to improve. The club’s financial position then pretty much confirms that a decent offer will see the star Uruguayan leave before the close of the window.
The nerves will really set in if the players listed above (Webo, Keita, Corrales and, in particular, Nunes, Ramis and Castro) leave with practically no time for any replacements to be signed due to the administration process. The squad is already very thin as it is.