Saviola's agent confirmed that Panathinaikos FC is the only team that has matched Arsenal's bid for the Argentina and Barcelona striker. Sevilla, who signed the player on a one-year loan deal from Barcelona, will not renew his contract.

Alfredo Cabrera, Javier Saviola's agent, confirmed that the Athens team are the only one which has matched Asenal's bid for the Argentinian.

According to Greek media reports, Saviola is unlikely to agree with Panathinaikos, but with Arsenal he risks loosing his place in the starting line-ups, as he faces competition from other important Arsenal players.

Panathinaikos appeared to have increased the bid to 3 million euros (approximately £2 million) per year and offer a 2-year contract with the player and guarantees that he will be in the starting line-up plans for next season.

Even though Panathinaikos did not qualify for the Champions League and will be playing in next season's UEFA Cup, the Club's offer has many incentives for Saviola, but he can not be guaranteed inclusion in Arsenal's starting line-up next season.

Javier Saviola ruled-out a move to Greece or England, but with the latest developments

The player said that he would favour a Spanish Club to continue his career, however, Seville do not want to renew his contract and he risks to compromising his financial demands if a Club has not been found.

Panathinaikos are building the "foundations" for the next team that will repeat the old successes in Greece and Europe. Panathinaikos' fans have condemned the results of last season, when Panathinaikos suffered a humiliating 5-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League.

The Club’s arch-rivals Olympiacos FC have made many moves recently and brought loads of fresh talent into the team, while even after their 9 Greek League Titles they are still on the lookout for players that would enhance the squad. This fact has prompted fans to demand bigger investment into the team.

Sources close to both the owner and the president of the team have said that such high profile transfers should not be ruled out by the fans and that the management has plans to bring more players that will reinforce the team and make it competitive in Greek and European competitions.

Javier Saviola impressed with his performance in the 6-0 Argentina victory against Serbia & Montenegro, and since that match a lot has been written and heard about the possible next stop to his career.

Liverpool are rumoured to be closely monitoring the developments with the player, waiting for the right time to place an offer. However, they are considering other options from the Spanish League.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

delicious | digg | google | yahoo | technorati