- Premier League
Man City slammed over botched bid for Real's Gago
ESPN Soccernet staff
February 3, 2010
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Fernando Gago was a back-up option for Manchester City
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Fernando Gago's agent has hit out at Manchester City over their handling of their bid for the player, with Real Madrid's sporting director Jorge Valdano echoing his displeasure.
City reportedly made a bid for Gago last week before turning their attentions to Kenyan star McDonald Mariga; but when Mariga was refused a work permit, City tried to salvage a deal late on Monday for the Argentine midfielder, which smacked of desperation.
"City used us," Gago's agent Marcello Lombilla told radio station Onda Cero. "This has never happened to me before. I don't want to talk about the figures that City were offering because they approached Madrid without even knowing there wasn't physically enough time to put something together."
Real's sporting director Jorge Valdano was equally unimpressed with City's attempts, claiming that their lack of preparation hindered any hope of reaching a deal.
"They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed," Valdano told El Pais. "They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have had to have done everything in 40 minutes."
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
