Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin has reportedly said he would like to play for a Spanish team.
Speculation about Arshavin's future has mounted due to his eye-catching performances in helping Russia reach the European championship semifinals.
"I know I have offers from England and Germany but what I would really like is to play in La Liga, in the (Spanish) first division. It is a championship I have always followed. I like the football which is played there. But at the moment I have no offers from Spain," Arshavin was quoted as saying by sports daily AS yesterday.
Arshavin suggested that a transfer could happen this offseason.
"Perhaps the time has come (to change clubs)," he said.
Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester City, together with Schalke, are said to be keen on signing the 27-year-old forward, who helped Zenit St. Petersburg to win last season's UEFA Cup for the first time.
Arshavin was suspended for the first two games of Euro 2008 after being sent off in Russia's last qualifier - a 1-0 win over Andorra.
Since then, he has been man of the match after scoring against both Sweden and the Netherlands to help Russia advance to its first semifinal since it became an independent state in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Arshavin is likely to pose the biggest threat to Spain when the teams meet in Thursday's second semifinal. Russia will be seeking revenge for its 1-4 defeat against the Spaniards in its opening group game on June 10.
Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane has said that nothing can prevent Real Madrid from signing Cristiano Ronaldo if the Manchester United winger really wants to join the Spanish powerhouse.
While United refuses to consider offers for Ronaldo, who has four years left on his contract, Zidane suggested this won't be enough to retain the 23-year-old star.
"It depends on his personal wishes. If Ronaldo wants to play for Real, he will. Real Madrid has shown that when it wants a player, it gets him. That club is not afraid of paying a lot of money for a player," Zidane told Spanish sports daily Marca.
Zidane, who turned 36 yesterday, said he expected his world record US$65 million move to Real from Juventus in 2001 to be beaten if Ronaldo arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real coach Bernd Schuster echoed Zidane's sentiments when he told German television channel DSF at the weekend that his club was willing to spend what was necessary to sign Ronaldo - even if it meant a fee of 100 million euros (US$155 million).
However, Real President Ramon Calderon has said that his club is powerless to intervene if United won't sell.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily June 24, 2008)