River Plate reject Valencia's £14 million for Aimar

River Plate have rejected a £14 million offer for midfield star Pablo Aimar from Valencia.

The Argentine club want more money and Valencia are now considering whether to abandon their hopes of signing Aimar writes Rafael Salido. They raised their original offer of £12 million three days ago but are reluctant to pay any more.

The Argentinian international had been recently linked with a move to Europe, in order to help River Plate solve its economic problems, but Valencia's bid has been a surprising move. With a strong and quick offer president Pedro Cortes tried to tie up one of the most stunning players in the current football panorama, which surely confirms Valencia as one of the favourites to win the Liga this year.

'Payasito' Aimar had become one of the most important players in the 'Millonarios' side in the last years and it was well known that after the Apertura Tournament his career would continue in Europe with Inter and FC Barcelona keen to sign him. Last summer both these big teams contacted him, but River never accepted to sell him at any price.

Things were getting uncertain for the play maker at Christmas when suddenly Cortes made a £12 million offer which was rejected at once. The Valencia president, having consulted coach Hector Cuper for his opinion, decided to raise the bid and made a final offer that finally River have now refused.

The 22 year old midfielder has been offered a £1 million per year, 7 year contract but his agent Gustavo Mascardi has already said any sale of the player could be slow and complicated. Aimar owns 15% of his own contract with mascardi and is sue that sum from a transfer pushing up River's fiancial demands. The Buenos Aires club also instered a clause in his contract two years ago after interest from Italian clubs that Aimar would not be allowed to leave for less than £50 million.

Aimar is a talented and creative midfielder who likes having the ball and is most accurate in passing, where his imagination becomes one of his most powerful weapons. Argentinian Cuper had confessed lately that counting on Aimar would be a luxury as currently he is one of the best players in his position.

Who may not be that very pleased about the whole plan to buy Aimar is Slovenian Zlatko Zahovic, who joined the Champions League finalists last summer looking for a chance to play first team football. After an amazing spell in Portugal playing for Porto, the international midfielder signed for Olympiakos, where problems with the coach prevented him from succeeding. After a superb performance during Euro 2000, Valencia bought him, but since his arrival he has not been able to win a regular place in the first team. Aimar's arrival - if it happens at all now - will surely complicate even more his situation and so the 27 year old ace may be leaving soon.