Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro has said that it is very difficult to sign AC Milan striker Robinho, thereby bringing him back to the club where he started his career. Robinho was touted as the next big thing in Brazil when he was playing for Santos.
This subsequently led to a transfer to Real Madrid many seasons ago. Just when he was establishing himself at Real Madrid, his future was thrown into doubt following the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. He left Madrid for Manchester City in the summer of 2008, but failed to settle in England. It led to a loan move to Italy with AC Milan, who then converted the deal into a permanent one.
However, after a disappointing season with AC Milan in which he has failed to win the league title and also the Champions League, it is expected that the club will be looking at the possibility of selling him in the summer. AC Milan have lost a number of players following the end of the season. Players like Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Zambrotta, and Gattuso will be leaving Milan at the end of the season. It is an end of an era, but more importantly, it calls for the replacement in the form of a number of signings. In order to fund them, Robinho is likely to be one of the players sold, with Santos a firm favourite to sign him.
“It is still a distant dream. The fact that he wants to return can help, yes, but this time around, trading would not be like in 2010, with Manchester City. It would be something totally different, with another financial agreement. At that time, he came on loan. Now, it seems that Milan will only agree to sell him because they are keen to invest in top players,” said Ribeiro.