quarta-feira, 2 de abril de 2008
BERLIN (AFP) - Germany striker Mario Gomez now has a 50 million euros (78 million US dollars) price tag as VfB Stuttgart bosses show their determination to keep their hot-shot who is set to star at Euro 2008.
The 22-year-old is under contract until June 2012, but both Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have expressed an interest and the defending Bundesliga champions want to keep their goal-machine for as long as possible.
It would be a new Bundesliga record if either Spanish side pays such a high fee for Gomez and the 50 million figure is more than triple his 16 million market value at the start of the season.
"One cannot insure the market value of Mario, we feel he is worth about 50 million euros," said Stuttgart's director of sport Jochen Schneider.
Gomez, who will miss the next two weeks with a thigh injury, has bagged 15 goals in 20 league games even though Stuttgart have laboured this season with erratic form.
With six goals for Germany in just nine appearances, Gomez is set to partner Bayern Munich striker Miroslav Klose up front in the national side for June's Euro 2008 tournament.
"If I were Real's coach, I would want to sign him. But his favourite Spanish team is Barcelona - and Real are the arch-enemy," VfB coach Armin Veh told German magazine Sport Bild.
"The plan is that Mario wil stay with us for another years, that time is extremely important for his development."
Stuttgart captain Fernando Meira says there is little chance of Gomez remaining at the club for too much longer.
"It makes everyone proud at the club that we have such a good player as Mario in the side," Meira told local paper the Stuttgarter Nachrichten.
"Sooner or later, Mario will join a big club, probably Real Madrid or Barcelona."
Gomez has said he wants to spend another season at Stuttgart, but admitted he is tempted by the prospect of life in Spain's La Liga.
"I would like to play abroad in the future and Barcelona is my dream team," said Gomez, whose father is Spanish.
"But at the moment, I have no plans to go and even if a top team comes in for me there is no guarantee I will leave."
Gomez will have to sit out this weekend's Bundesliga game against title rivals Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen the following week, having been blighted by injury last season, the striker is impatient.
"It cannot be changed. I want to be fit again as soon as possible, but I have to be patient and wait," said Gomez, after tearing his thigh muscle against Hanover last weekend.
www.soccernews.com
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