Bayern about to admit defeat

By European Football
November 24 2005

Manchester United and Real Madrid seem to have made a massive step forward in there pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Michael Ballack, with Franz Beckenbauer admitting that he did not believe that Bayern had the financial strength to hang onto the player.

He has been offered a massive new contract by the German giants, but he has put off any decision until January, when he can review other offers.

Speaking to the Telegraph Beckenbauer stated:

"We have offered him a four-year contract, a very good one."

"He is already the highest paid player in Germany, but he won't sign.

"We don't have a Silvio Berlusconi or Roman Abramovich at Bayern, but we are a wealthy club.

"The problem in Germany is the tax rate. It is more than 50 percent, while in England it is much lower.

"Nobody in Germany talks about net [as they do in Italy or Spain, calculating how much they get after tax] and this puts us at a disadvantage."