Juve Deny Salas Deal In The Offing
Friday 27th July 2001
Juventus have denied reports from Chile that they are about to sign Lazio star Marcelo Salas in a �15 million deal, only days after the striker rejected a move to Valencia.
It was reported in Chile that El Matador would agree a five-year contract worth �2.5 million a year over the weekend, and that Lazio would also take their pick of Michele Paramatti, Alessandro Birindelli and Ciro Ferrara as part of the deal.
But a Juve spokesman told AFP: "There is nothing in these rumours coming from Chile."
Salas won the Scudetto with Lazio in 2000, but endured a difficult 2000-01 season.
At the start of the campaign, then coach Sven-Goran Eriksson agreed to sell him to Parma, but the deal fell through after the Chilean refused to leave.
He was then dropped and reportedly the subject of bids from Juventus and Inter, but negotiations led to nothing.
He fought his way back into the side following an injury to Argentine striker Claudio Lopez and played regularly until he suffered a knee injury in March 2001 which ruled him out for two months.
With Lopez back in the frame this season, and Hernan Crespo regarded as the club's number one striker, speculation, however, was still rife about Salas.
He was heavily linked with a 'dream' move to Real Madrid in June 2001, but nothing came of the talks.
Then, last week, he pulled the plug on another swap-deal which would have taken him to Valencia and sent Kily Gonzalez in the opposite direction. According to his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, the player wanted to stay in Rome for family reasons.
Valencia president Jaime Orti had agreed terms with Lazio for the signing of Salas, and he believed it only needed the Chile star to sort out a contract wrangle with his Italian club for the deal to go through.
On Saturday Orti said that Valencia would pay the Italians just �370,000 for Salas, as long-time Lazio target Kily Gonzalez was bound for the Stadio Olimpico.
"We have reached an agreement with the player but that is useless if he can't sort out the problems he has with Lazio. It all depends on that," explained Orti.
Salas reacted furiously last summer when he felt double-winners Lazio were trying to offload him in an effort to avoid paying him a win bonus.
This latest row was similar, with Salas claiming that Lazio should pay up the remaining two years of his contract about �4 million because he is being sold against his will.
