Udinese owner claims Barcelona are 'far' from matching expectations for Alexis Sanchez transferDeal with Spanish and European champions shows little sign of being completed anytime soon as Italian club chief claims 'economic conditions' have not been met yet
Barcelona have been told to raise the stakes for Alexis Sanchez as Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo claims whatever has been offered to date is not enough, and says the Catalans' unwillingness to meet expectations has caused a delay in pushing the move further forward.
"The deal with Barcelona is still far from being concluded as the economic conditions to close the transfer do not exist," Pozzo told the Italian press in quotes published by La Repubblica.Sanchez, 22, has always said his desire is to join the Camp Nou outfit following interest from Manchester City, which later subsided.
And it appears the Chile international's desire to complete a dream move to the Spanish champions is the glue holding talks together.
"The only thing that is keeping this up is that Sanchez, obviously, has his reasons to move and join Barcelona," added Pozzo.
"But, there is nothing concrete now, and we are still very far [from agreeing a deal]."
Previous reports had suggested a ?40 million transfer agreement was close to being reached by the clubs.
On Monday Udinese director of sport Fabrizio Larini encouraged patience over a deal when he said there was no 'expiry date' for talks, citing Sanchez's involvement in the Copa America with Chile as a factor in the slow rate of progress.
But, if Barcelona fail to take heed of Pozzo's stance over the fee, a stay at the Stadio Friuli will be considered."Sanchez is still young, he is 22, and despite having a great season with us he can still improve. I want to keep him another year," Pozzo added.
Earlier, the club owner said Napoli had made an interesting offer for Sanchez, even though the player's choice of future club has been well documented.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2011/07/07/2564785/udinese-owner-claims-barcelona-are-far-from-matching