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Real Madrid football coach Jose Mourinho cannot resist Maicon as he stays vividly in mind, but the Inter defender’s high wage demands have seen the move take another turn towards the slow lane.

Reports on Tuesday in La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Inter and Madrid had agreed on the terms of the transfer: €28 million plus performance-related bonuses.

But reaching a full conclusion appears a distant possibility according to Il Corriere dello Sport as the move is blocked over the failure to agree wages.

Maicon seems in no mood to lower his €7m per year wage demands. That stance seemed to be encouraged by his agent Antonio Caliendo, who last week said his client is not inferior to Kaka or Cristiano Ronaldo.

But the hand that feeds mouths in Madrid, Florentino Perez, will not add a grain to his €5.5m a year wage offer for Maicon.

Despite the deal becoming idle, Mourinho is ready to speak with Blancos chiefs in an attempt to persuade them to shift up a gear and bring the long deal to an end.

Voices claim that Thiago Silva of Milan remains an alternative, but that piste seems unstable as the Italian club have said he is not for sale.

Temperamental teenage star Mario Balotelli will not be staying at Inter Milan next year unless his situation improves, his agent has said.

The 19-year-old has had a tempestuous campaign having fallen out first with coach Jose Mourinho and then lately with the club’s fans.

He has also found himself increasingly confined to the bench since the January arrival of Macedonia’s Goran Pandev.

And his agent Mino Raiola has put potential suitors such as Arsenal and Manchester City on the alert by claiming his charge could well be on his way out.

“It’s sure that like this he can’t go on, Mario won’t be staying another year at Inter Milano like this, I can guarantee that,” he said.

“Over the last eight to nine months no-one in the club has been protecting Mario. I’m accused of acting like his press officer and it’s true given that the Inter Milano press officer has only one client: Mourinho.

“Mario is not perfect, just like Mourinho is not horrible, but Mourinho needs a common enemy for himself and the team and Balotelli fell into the trap.

“Sometimes in training he’s even scared. Mario made his apologies but I haven’t heard those of the team-mates who attacked him in the changing rooms, nor has the club acted on that.

“Mario was sure that this would be his year, that he’d be first choice for club and country.

“He didn’t achieve his objectives and reacted with a tension from which he has not managed to escape.”

Balotelli first broke into the first team picture two years ago under Roberto Mancini, now at Manchester City, but has not managed to earn more than a bit-part role under Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach has often criticised the Italian of Ghanaian descent for his attitude in both training and matches and his lack of effort.

But the last straw came at the end of the Champions League semi-final first leg — a 3-1 victory against Barcelona — when after being jeered by fans for his listless 20-minute cameo, Balotelli flung his shirt to the ground.

That angeredfans and players alike with World Cup winning centre-back Marco Materazzi allegedly getting physical with the youngster in the changing rooms while some fans tried to attack him as he left.

But Raiola seems to lay most of the blame at the feet of Mourinho.

“Balotelli is expecting to play with Inter Milano until the end of the season with the hope of playing in the Champions League final,” he added.

“But Mourinho has taught him that percentages count for little, that 99.9 percent is worth zero.

“Balotelli wants to play in sacred peace, to have a bit of joy at the end of the season because he’s not had much throughout it. He’s suffered terribly, with a lot of stress.

“Mario doesn’t have a problem either with the fans or the team but it’s clear that the problems with the club have not been solved.

“I don’t know if they can be solved. Balotelli has asked for forgiveness but someone in the club has purposefully not understood.”

ROME (AFP) – Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho on Friday dismissed Spanish press reports linking him with the Real Madrid job next season.

The Portuguese is one of the most successful and sought-after coaches working in the game having won titles in three different countries and guiding Porto to the Champions League crown in 2004.

It means his name is often linked in the press with prestigious posts, but Mourinho had no intention on elaborating on those.

“I’m not getting involved in this game. There are two things that are difficult to accept in the world,” he said.

“One is that I almost only talk in press conferences, I hardly ever give extra interviews.

“I know that for some this is hard to accept. I know that in England they want me to talk about Chelsea but I decided that I would only talk in press conferences.

“So dishonest newspapers invent stuff. The other thing that isn’t accepted is that I don’t have and I don’t want a social life, I don’t like it and on this I must insist on being respected.”

Mourinho was in his usual rambunctious mood ahead of Saturday’s visit of Sampdoria, continuing a succession of feuds that have developed between him and the hierarchy at other clubs.

Responding to reports that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said he would not want to hire the Inter coach, Mourinho said: “He couldn’t afford me anyway.”

And then turning on Juventus director Roberto Bettega, who had told Mourinho to mind his own business when the Portuguese commented on a penalty Juve were awarded last week against Genoa for an incident that clearly happened outside the 18-yard box, Mourinho added: “Only in Italy do you have a 25-metre area.”

But looking ahead to the title race, in which AS Roma are seven points behind the champions while AC Milan are a further two back but with a game in hand, Mourinho insisted he was not interested in how those rivals fare in European competition.

“Roma are rivals in the league, not in Europe so I don’t care how they played yesterday (a 3-2 defeat away to Panathinaikos in the Europa League) and I didn’t see the game,” he said.

“What interests me is that in the league Roma are doing well and are an opponent that I respect.

“Even when they were struggling (at the beginning of the season) I always said they were capable of winning the title, there’s some very good players there.

“And then it seems to me that they are also a cunning club because when the transfer window is open they know how to cry and also how to say no.

“They cry and say they don’t have any money when they want to buy a player and then when someone wants to buy one of their players they know to cry, they’re a cunning club.

“Milan could still become one of our rivals in the Champions League. A quarter-final between Inter and Milan would be wonderful because that would mean that we were both through.

“But Milan lost to a great team (Manchester United), not against a team of waiters.

“In the football league they could go second and I have as much respect for Milan as I have for Roma.

“There’s still everything to play for in the league and that’s why tomorrow we’ll be playing our best team and not thinking about Chelsea.”

Inter, who have not lost at home since Mourinho joined the club, face a Sampdoria team on a four-match winning streak before hosting Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday.

TURIN, 5 December 2009 – Juventus reopened a championship that seemed already in the bag for Inter Milan at the beginning of December. The Bianconeri won 2-1 at the Olimpico, with goals from Chiellini and Marchisio. Eto’o scored for Inter. It was a charged, proud and sometimes even fierce Bianconero side, of the “I want it, I really want it” kind, as evidenced by the determination showed by Cáceres, Chiellini and Sissoko. They managed to take home three points and they are now 5 points behind Mourinho’s side in the standings. The Nerazzurro boss was sent off this evening and paid dearly for getting angry with the referee. Above all, there are three teams in the race for the title; Leonardo’s “ball and creativity” Milan are on second place, 4 points behind the leader. Inter paid for Maicon’s and Sneijder’s absence and seemed to be less “hungry” in what turned out to be an even match, determined by isolated events, especially by a brilliant move from Marchisio that will make Lippi gloat when thinking of the National side. It was a nervous, very physical and at times also poor match, with too many hand-to-hand incidents like Melo’s early dismissal after slashing Balotelli’s leg.

Penalties The onset of the game was defined by a couple of claimed penalties, the first of which would have been on Juve. The Bianconeri claimed a penalty for Muntari’s foul on Sissoko, who was unbalanced when he shot on 5 minutes. Later on, it was Inter’s turn to claim a penalty for Cannavaro’s challenge on Samuel. Saccani let the game continue.

Blow and response The game was open. Juve were obliged by their 8 point deficit in the standings to attack and Inter replied to every Bianconero move with a move of their own. Both squads played on the right wing; Juve with Cáceres and Sissoko, who were very dynamic, and Inter with Stankovic and Milito, who went long to push Grosso and restrict him to a numerical inferiority. On 20 minutes, Juve opened the score with Diego’s free-kick from the right that reached the man behind the mask, Chiellini. His shot was deflected by Lucio and Julio Cesar couldn’t stop it. 1-0. Mourinho lost his temper and was sent off for protesting the free-kick call. Juve didn’t even have enough time to savour the lead and try to use the spaces in counterattack when Inter scored the equaliser. Buffon had already made a good save on Samuel, but couldn’t do anything on 26 minutes when Stankovic’s cross from the right found Eto’o alone in the centre of the area and the striker headed it in. 1-1. After an intense first half-hour, with plenty of running and agony and frequent changes in ball possession, the pace of the match slowed down a bit. At the end of a physical and enjoyable first-half, it was 1-1 on the score.

Super Marchisio The beginning of the second half of the football match was a bit nervous, in fits and starts. The squads lost strength and their moves were affected by that; they turned their engines on and off, playing more based on nerves than on their legs, in gusts. That’s when the prowess of one man became the turning point of the match. Inter were very close to a 2-1 and in the counterattack, Marchisio took off, sent it long for Sissoko, whose shot was denied by Julio Cesar, and Marchisio—who had followed the move—had enough time to dribble and go past Lucio, finishing it in with a left-kick. It was 2-1 for the home team and the Olimpico became bedlam.

Balotelli on On 15 minutes, Mario came onto the pitch. He was harshly attacked by the Bianconero fans at the Olimpico, already before the beginning of the match, even if some of the chants against him were booed by some of the Bianconero fans. Inter attacked strongly, furiously, but Juve now had all the inertia in their favour, both on a psychological and tactical level; and they held strong. Samuel risked a second yellow card for a foul on Del Piero and later Inter protested a penalty that wasn’t called for Cáceres’ foul on Milito. At the end a brawl broke out when Melo elbowed Balotelli. Many lost their temper and it was all against all in midfield, with plenty of scuffles and hands all over. Even Buffon lost his cool; Melo was sent off and Balotelli was booked. The game ended with an attack from Inter, in numerical advantage. Materazzi came onto the pitch and played centre forward in the stoppage time. Inter charged on like a bull, but to no avail. The race for the title is still open.