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.

F.C. Barcellona – Club history

The difference in accounts thus represents a gulf of  €88m, despite Barca’s recent extension of credit from a conglomerate of Spanish banks, including banking heavyweights Banco Santander and La Caixa.

In total, Barcelona’s debt is thus estimated at a net amount of €442m, while the gross figure could be in the €552m range.

In addition that the numbers presented by Barcelona’s last board of directors “do not reflect the club’s real image”, but also ruled out the possibility that the previous board had taken deliberate action to deceive in the presentation of their budgetary figures. It remains to be seen if and how Barcelona’s financial hurdles will impact the club’s transfer market aspirations, particularly with respect to the signing of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.

Chelsea Football Club are an English professional football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions three times, and have won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup twice.

The club had their first major success in 1955, winning the league championship. Chelsea won several cup competitions during the 1960s and 1970s, but after that did not win another major title until 1997. The past decade has been the most successful period in Chelsea’s history, capped by winning consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, and reaching their first UEFA Champions League final in 2008.

Chelsea’s home is the 41,841 capacity Stamford Bridge football stadium in Fulham, West London, where they have played since their establishment. The club are based just outside the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. In 2003, they were bought by Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea’s traditional kit colours are royal blue shirts and shorts with white socks. The club crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernize or re-brand; the current crest, featuring a ceremonial lion holding a staff, is a modified version of one first adopted in the 1950s. The club has sustained the fifth highest average all-time attendance in English football. Their average home gate for the 2008–09 season was 41,464, the fifth highest in the Premier League.

Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia C.F., Valencia or Los Che) is a Spanish professional football club based in Valencia. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and two Spanish Super Cups. They have also reached two UEFA Champions League finals in a row, losing to La Liga rivals Real Madrid in 2000 and then German club Bayern Munich in 2001. Valencia were also members of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs. In total, Valencia have reached seven major European finals, winning four of them.

In the all-time La Liga table, Valencia is in 3rd position behind Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. In terms of international titles, Valencia is again the 3rd-most successful behind Real Madrid and Barcelona – these three being the only Spanish clubs to have won five or more international trophies.

Valencia were founded in 1919, and have played their home games at the 55,000-seater Estadio Mestalla since 1923. They are soon to move into the 75,000-seater Nou Mestalla in the north-west of the city in 2011. Valencia have a long-standing rivalry with Levante, also located in Valencia, and with another club in the Valencian Community region, Villarreal.

Valencia are the third most supported football club in Spain, only behind Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It is also one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of number of associates (registered paying supporters), with more than 50,000 season ticket holders and another 20,000+ season ticket holders on the waiting list, which will come into effect once the new 75,000-seater stadium is built.

Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club that plays in the top-flight Spanish La Liga championship. The club was established on 14 October 1905, making it the oldest football club from Seville, and the second oldest from Andalusia.

Sevilla is owned by its fans, with the stocks distributed across a few major holders and a large base of fans. The club supports one of the most renowned training academies in the country, which has produced many famous players.

Sevilla has also promoted innovations, such as a school of sport psychologists, who provide support for the younger as well as the professional players, and also more recently sports nutrition and medicine. Another recent success for Sevilla FC has been the establishment of its own radio station, “Sevilla FC Radio” (the first of its kind in Spain), their own local tv channel, “SFC TV”, as well as other official media.

Sevilla FC’s stadium is named after its former president Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and has a spectator capacity of 45,500. The stadium is located in the neighborhood of Nervión. Sevilla’s performance in La Liga in the last few seasons has led to an increase in the number of season ticket holders, making it necessary to create a waiting list for tickets.

Atletico Madrid – Club History

Real Madrid – Club History