Milan, Sampdoria in talks over Cassano transfer

AC Milan and Sampdoria are in negotiations over the transfer of Antonio Cassano, Milan’s vice-president Adriano Galliani admitted on Friday.

Italy forward Cassano has been frozen out at Samp since allegedly “gravely insulting” club president Riccardo Garrone in an argument in October.

On Thursday an arbitration body rejected Sampdoria’s bid to have the 28-year-old’s contract terminated, although they did suspend him until the end of January and reduce his salary by half.

However, Garrone had already made it clear that Cassano would never play for the club again whatever the outcome of the arbitration.

And Galliani has now admitted that negotiations “are well under way but absolutely not concluded.”

The stumbling block is a five million euro payment Sampdoria owe to Real Madrid, from whom they bought the forward.

“That’s the problem,” Galliani told Sky Italia. “We’re not willing to pay it and for the moment Sampdoria don’t seem to be either, hence there’s still a nice little problem to solve.

“Let’s say two out of three things are practically done: the agreement with the player and the one with Sampdoria but we have five million reasons to worry about this thing.”

However, Galliani denied that Cassano’s expected arrival would signal the departure of Brazilian former twice world player of the year Ronaldinho.

Instead he insisted that Cassano would merely replace Filippo Inzaghi, who has a knee injury and is due to miss the rest of the season.

“Even if Cassano obviously has very different characteristics he will replace Pippo Inzaghi.

“We began the season with five strikers and we need to go back to having five.

“It’s nothing to do with Ronaldinho, Cassano will arrive, if he arrives, but we’re not saying it’s a done deal.

“Everyone has said it’s a done deal but I don’t tell lies, I don’t know who will pay this five million (euros) so it will be very difficult.

“If Real Madrid don’t reduce their demands, if we don’t come to an agreement with Sampdoria, with the player etc, it certainly won’t be Milan who pay.”

Milan have a history of prevailing with such complicated transfer negotiations having managed to procure Ronaldinho from Barcelona in 2008 even though Manchester City had offered the Spaniards a 40 percent higher fee.

And in the summer Milan snagged Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Barca for 24 million euros — to be paid over a four-year period — less than half what the Spaniards had paid for the Swede a year earlier having also given up Samuel Eto’o to Inter Milan.

And a few days later Milan convinced City to part company with Robinho for less than half the amount the English side had paid Real Madrid for the Brazilian.