Soccer: Russian club Anzhi have confirmed they are on the verge of signing Samuel Eto'o from Inter Milan. The 30-year-old will reportedly become the world's highest paid player if the transfer is concluded.
Inter are expecting a transfer fee in the in the region of €20-€30 million for the Cameroon international's services, while the club will hand him a three-year deal worth a reputed €20 million per year.
Anzhi representative German Tkachenko told ANSA news agency: "We are very close. We could close today, tomorrow or next week."
Eto'o was in fine form last season as he snared 37 goals in all competitions. In the previous campaign, he had again been a key component of the team who won the treble under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho.
Yet, despite his goals and contribution to what has been a golden period for Inter, president Massimo Moratti maintains the offer from the Russian side demands consideration.
"When an offer like that comes around, it's difficult to match or refuse," Moratti told Gazetta dello Sport. With the introduction of Uefa's new financial Fair Play rules, the Inter president now insists he will have to evaluate his budget and keep a close eye on his team's expenditure.
"Financial fair play is serious," he added. "Whoever doesn't respect the parameters will find themselves excluded from European competition."
Moratti does not expect to be able to sign Carlos Tevez as a replacement, however. Tevez was thought to be on Inter's radar after announcing his desire to leave Manchester City, but Roberto Mancini stated on Friday there were no clubs interested in paying what would be a substantial transfer fee.
Moratti accepts that a deal is unlikely, while he has also ruled out a swoop for Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi. Diego Forlan of Atletico Madrid and Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi are under consideration, but Moratti recognises it would take a special player to fill Eto'o's boots.
He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Eto'o leaving? When and if it happens, I will miss him a lot. He is a very serious professional, a top player in the true sense of the word, who has managed to drag the team and especially in times of difficulty he has always been on the top level, being a great player.
"He goes for the financial fair play and because when you get an offer like that it's hard to refuse it. The financial fair play is serious, not a joke: whoever doesn't respect the parameters will be out of European competitions.
"Will Tevez be the replacement? I don't think we will get him. Forlan? Lavezzi? These are the names on which we are working: we are watching, exploring, we'll see.
"With (Napoli owner, Aurelio) De Laurentiis we spoke of Lavezzi, but it could just be a contact which finishes there. Giuseppe Rossi? We never thought of him, we're looking for a player with different characteristics."
