Makelele deal under threat over new Real cash dispute

French midfielder Claude Makelele threw a spanner in the works over this 24 million euro (26.2 million dollar) transfer to English Premiership side Chelsea following another financial dispute with current club Real Madrid.

Makelele's agent Marc Roger said that the deal may not go ahead in time for Sunday midnight's transfer deadline because Real are refusing to give the player his slice of the transfer fee.

"There is very little possibility that the problem will be sorted out, it is very, very difficult," Roger told Spanish radio station Marca.

Roger slammed the Spanish champions for being "disrespectful" to the 30-year-old by not being willing to honour the 15 percent of the agreed fee, some 3.5 million euros, which is owed to him.

"Real Madrid does not want to pay the percentage that every player has for every transfer. Makelele feels that he has not being treated with respect and he is not willing to be the fall guy once again."

The midfielder went on strike briefly earlier this month in protest at Madrid's refusal to increase his salary of 1.2 million euros which he claimed was a fifth of what the likes of Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham earn.

He would triple his wages at Chelsea, who have now spent some 160 million euros this summer on new stars since Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich took over in July.

Real are looking to use some of the Makelele cash to shore up their defence but they will also likely have to replace Makelele, who for three years since arriving from Celta Vigo has been a consistent performer in deep midfield.