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Team coach Bobby Robson admitted on Thursday that his club had agreed to sell English national team defender Jonathan Woodgate to Madrid.
Robson claims that he did not want to sell the player, whom he bought 18 months ago for £9 million, but the royal club's offer, reportedly around £15 million, was too good to turn down.
"We will make a lot of profit from him, but we do not care about the profit, we care only about the player, but the offer is big, and the club had to consider it. I understand that, but I would not want to lose Jonathan Woodgate. It's a large sum of money, and also a big opportunity for him, can we deny him that opportunity? This is a moral question," the coach said.
Woodgate's representatives are expected to arrive in Madrid tomorrow to finalize the financial contract terms. The club would like a four-year contract, and the player should earn £70-80 thousand per week. If both parties agree, the Englishman will have to undergo a medical examination to complete the transfer.
Such a turn of events is quite unexpected, as "Real" initially showed interest in defenders from Milan teams - an Italian playing for "Inter" and an Argentine belonging to "Milan". However, it seems they have decided to acquire Woodgate, who would join Englishmen David Beckham and Michael Owen in Madrid.
