SS Lazio kill off "crazy" Anelka chase

SS Lazio have ended their interest in French striker Nicolas Anelka and have condemned selling club Arsenal for their cash demands.

The Rome club started bidding for the player at the start of last month after the collapse of a £15 million transfer to Real Madrid. In March Juventus had seen their £15 million offer for the striker rejected by the Premiership side and Anelka hoped to move to Real as he carried out a plan to quit the London club at the end of last season.

Lazio had offered £18 million for the player but Arsenal had refused to accept anything less than the £22 million cash sum that was agreed between the two clubs last Monday.

The deal fell through when Anelka failed to agree personal terms with the Rome club or Juventus who remained keen to sign the player until the start of this week.

Anelka himself has refused to begin pre season training with Arsenal and has threatened the club with court action to try and break his contract with the London club which has four years left to run. The club removed him from their transfer list two days ago and have asked Anelka to return but the former PSG youth player has sent a doctor's note claiming illness through stress as his reason for absence and shows no sign of returning.

The end of Lazio's interest in the player now seems final and the club's agent has attacked the massive transfer fee Arsenal were seeking for the young player.

Lazio were the only club left in at the £22 million cash fee for the player who has proved himself wildly unpredictable, poorly advised and unreliable. They have now sought to present their failure to sign the French player as a lucky escape and said the "crazy" price asked for Anelka was way too high. Club owner Sergio Cragnotti though had publicly identified Anelka as the player he wanted to replace Christian Vieri at the Rome outfit and Lazio's involvement in massive transfer dealings of nearly £76 million for five players did much to increase Arsenal's asking price for their young star.

Arsenal are now left with no buyers for a player with a damaged reputation who is threatening to take the club to court. Their entire summer spending programme has been hampered by the on-off nature of Anelka's transfer to Italy and they must now decide on whether to complete their £10 million talks with Juventus to sign Thierry Henry. Anelka seems lost to the club and the fans and players have completely turned against the player. Indeed doubt surrounds the entire future of the player now Lazio have ended their interest in him. Arsenal or legal action now seem his only options unless he quits the game completely to return at some pint in the future for another professional club and Arsenal claim compensation from their insurers. The fact that Lazio have attacked Arsenal after their protracted transfer dealings rather than the player and his entourage suggests there is still interest in the young star.