Source: Inter Milan’s Sneijder will join Manchester United

Posted on July 13, 2011 by SoccerPunter

“Of course, if the club decides to sell, I’ll go where they tell me to go, but I would be sad to leave,” Sneijder is quoted as saying in an interview with the Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine.

“My wife and I are happy in Milan, and I would miss Inter, but that’s football. When Real Madrid sold me to Inter, at the time I wanted to stay in Spain.”

Sneijder believes a move to the English Premier League champions could offer him the chance to add to an already impressive career tally which includes domestic titles in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, in addition to a Champions League-winners’ medal in 2010.

Inter last week agreed a deal to sign young Argentine midfielder Ricky Alvarez from Velez Sarsfield, seen as a potential replacement for Sneijder.

However, the club’s new coach Gian Piero Gasperini, speaking at their pre-season training camp in Pinzolo in the Italian Alps, has said he is confident that the playmaker will stay put.

“Sneijder is a great player, a top player. His approach has been more than positive. He is here and he wants to remain with us.”

Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen, himself a Dutchman, said last week that he “could not think of a more ideal player for our team”, and former United defender Gary Neville echoed those comments.

“He is a great player who has played at some great football clubs like Real Madrid and Inter and it won’t faze him coming here”, he said.

“He would be a great signing, but I’m sure that there are a number of clubs that are looking at him. I hope that Manchester United get him, but I don’t know whether that will be the case.”

The former Real Madrid man has indicated that he wants a move to Sir Alex’s Ferguson’s side, but has not publicly spoken of his desire to leave in order to avoid the ire of Inter fans.  He has a contract at San Siro which expires in 2015 and would be content to see out his terms if a transfer fails to materialise this summer, hence his reluctance to push for a move in the public eye.

In addition, press reports last week suggested that Malaga, owned by Qatari sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani, were prepared to offer up to 40 million euros ($56 million) for the player.

Malaga have already flexed their spending muscle this summer, making eight new signings including Spanish international winger Joaquin from Valencia, France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan from Lyon and Sneijder’s compatriot and one-time Real Madrid teammate, Ruud Van Nistelrooy.