REAL MADRID
Rummenigge: "Florentino hates receiving offers for his players"
Bayern Munich's president recognized the difficulties which Bundesliga clubs face to compete with Europe's big spenders Real Madrid, Barça and the clubs in the Premier League.
Beggar-thy-neighbour effect
Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke gave a joint interview with Sport Bild this week in which they discussed how big money-spending clubs in Spain and the Premier League are having a detrimental effect on Bundesliga sides who don't have the economic means to compete at the same level in the markets.
High wages
"The danger of how salaries have evolved isn't just coming from England, it's also happening in Spain", Rummenigge explained, citing the economic outlay of Cristiano Ronaldo's recent contract extension with Real Madrid - a figure which he claims Bayern would find impossible to match: "Real Madrid have just renewed the contracts of a few players. Cristiano Ronaldo will be earning 20.5 million euros net - after tax! No player in the Bundesliga earns that amount even before tax! That is the business model - so that no club in England comes along to poach their players".
Hands off my players
The Bayern says that Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez doesn't particularly enjoy entertaining offers for his players: "Both of us know our friend Florentino Pérez. He hates it when an offer is tabled for a player who he thinks is good - and especially when the offer comes from England", Rummenigge revealed.
Watzke says there are two battles going on - one between Germany's top two outfits and Barça and Madrid and another - the threat from the Premier League which affects the rest of the Bundesliga clubs.
"Bayern and Borussia are going to have more problems with Barcelona and Real Madrid while the rest of the Bundesliga will be competing with England's middle oder sides. Our players don't usually join clubs like Stoke City, but there are a lot of professional players in the Bundesliga who know that they can earn double or triple in the Premier League", Watzke claimed.
