Mallorca President Victor Grande has spoken out against Portsmouth's approach to sign Argentine midfielder Jonas Gutierrez from the Spanish side.Portsmouth were reputed to have offered €10million for Gutierrez, but Grande disputed these claims, saying:
"No club has offered Mallorca €10m for Jonas. There was one offer of €5m and another for €6m..."
He then went on to slam Portsmouth for the manner of their attempts to sign the player saying:
"Portsmouth do not want Jonas as they have insulted the player by undervaluing him and manipulating him...
"They are not complying with UEFA laws, which state you cannot negotiate with players if you do not have permission from their clubs.
"At the moment we are being prudent and have not taken any measures."
The ownership of Gutierrez is currently split fifty-fifty between Mallorca and Argentine side Velez Sarsfield, and Grande expects the player to see out his contract at one of the two clubs:
"Jonas is a magnificent player, but we will not negotiate through the press.
"He has two-and-a-half years left on his contract and he will have to complete those with Mallorca, with Velez or wherever because his federative rights are ours."
Whether Portsmouth will continue to court the player remains to be seen, but Mallorca seem ready to contact UEFA should the situation develop further. Harry Redknapp seems keen to add an Argentine to his squad, having already been linked with Andres D'Alessandro this week.
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