Real great Raul leaves door open to England swansong
REAL MADRID legend Raul insists he could yet make a surprise switch to the Premier League after bringing down the curtain on his glorious spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 33-year-old, who began his career at Real and went on to win 16 titles with the Spanish club, yesterday denied a widely-anticipated transfer to German outfit Schalke had already been arranged.
“The German team is interested in me and I have had very deep discussions with them,” said Raul. “In a few days I will know whether I’ll be going to the Bundesliga, but there are other teams that are also interested. What is clear is that my future lies in Germany or England.”
Tottenham and Newcastle have been linked with the former Spain striker, who scored 323 goals in 741 appearances for Real, but Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has played down his interest. He said: “Raul was a great player at Real Madrid, but I wouldn’t think he would be a player we would bring to Tottenham. Financially, I don’t think it would be possible to do a deal like that.”
Raul’s former Real team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy said yesterday he expects the
Champions League’s all-time record goalscorer to complete his move to Schalke.
“More and more big names are coming here,” said Van Nistelrooy. “Before, only Bayern [Munich] had stars; now a lot of clubs are drawing them. Michael Ballack is back, and Schalke are going to sign Raul.
“For him it is a big step from Madrid to Gelsenkirchen. But I think he’ll do it without problems. The move shows that he is not finished.”