Football Talk - Valencia confirm David Villa talks with Man City - 12/03/09
Valencia have confirmed that they have held talks with Manchester City over a possible move for striker David Villa.
The club's financial problems have led them to admit that they may be forced to part with their most valuable assets in a bid to avert bankruptcy. Spain international Villa signed a six-year contract with Valencia in August which ties him to the club until 2014 with a reported buyout clause of around €144m.
But the Primera Liga outfit have now held initial discussions with City over a big-money move for the 27-year-old, although the Eastlands outfit did not submit an offer.When asked if he could confirm that Valencia chiefs had met with two representatives from Manchester City regarding the sale of Villa, Gomez said:
"Yes, it's true but they didn't make us any offer. The president (Vicente Soriano) asked for a significant amount and they didn't agree."
Gomez did not reveal in the interview on Spanish radio what price tag they had put on Villa and his fellow Spain international David Silva, but insisted they would expect the full market value for both players. "I think they are two very important players, with a lot of quality and, if we sell them, we are not going to sell them on the cheap," said Gomez. "I would like them both to stay. But we cannot discard anything and any of them (the players) could leave at the end of the season."
