West Ham happy to show Mascherano quick route to Italy (16 Dec 2006 22:22 GMT)
Alan Curbishley, the new West Ham United manager, may have inherited a squad beset by problems but one of the thorniest ? the future of Javier Mascherano ? could soon be resolved. Juventus want to sign the Argentina midfield player.
Officials at the Italian club have spoken with representatives of Media Sport Investment (MSI), which owns the rights to Mascherano, and are prepared to offer up to ?18 million (about £12 million) for him. With the transfer window due to open on January 1, MSI has set its opening price at a prohibitive ?30 million.
However, with Mascherano keen to leave and Curbishley unlikely to stand in his way, a compromise deal could be reached next month. At a recent meeting between MSI and Eggert Magnússon, the new West Ham chairman, it was made clear to the former that Mascherano had no part to play at the club in 2007.
Real Zaragoza, the Spanish club, and Fiorentina are also believed to be interested in Mascherano, though the Italian club may not be able to afford his wages, reputed to be more than £40,000 a week.
source : Times Online