Real to keep Chelsea target Robinho: press

AFP - 29 August 2008 12:55

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has decided to keep Chelsea target Robinho (seen here in action in June 2008) at the club, a Spanish sports newspaper has said.

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has decided to keep Chelsea target Robinho at the club, a Spanish sports newspaper said Friday.

"He is staying in Madrid and there is no possibility of going back on that," Calderon said, according to AS.

Calderon made the decision after a plea by Real's German coach Bernd Schuster, who is counting on the Brazilian for this season.

Chelsea's Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has been keen to tie up a 27 million pounds (33.7 million euros) swoop for Robinho before the transfer window shuts on Monday and reports have said the deal would go through before the weekend.

AS published pictures of Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and the Robinho's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, leaving a restaurant near Real's Santiago-Bernabeu stadium Wednesday night.

Real this week were unsuccessful in signing two strikers as possible replacements for Robinho - Santi Cazorla from Villarreal and David Villa from Valencia.

Real also failed in their bid to recruit Manchester United's Portuguese playmaker Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Spanish league season starts this weekend, and the transfer window closes on Monday.