Stuttgart’s Khedira flattered by Real Madrid interest
By DPA, IANSFriday, July 23, 2010
HAMBURG - Germany midfielder Sami Khedira is flattered by Real Madrid’s interest and fascinated by their new coach Jose Mourinho, but he is yet to decide whether to leave VfB Stuttgart.
“Everything is open. I will make up my mind over the next days, next week at the latest. I owe that to Stuttgart,” Khedira told Friday’s edition of Germany’s Bild daily.
Khedira, 23, rose through Stuttgart’s junior ranks to the Bundesliga team and has a contract there until 2011. Only a summer move would generate a big transfer fee for the 2007 league champions.
Khedira has met with Real officials who would have to pay a fee estimated at 15 million euros for him. He said he would only consider a move to Real and no other club.
“Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world and Jose Mourinho one of the most successful coaches in the world. Mourinho has always fascinated me,” Khedira told Bild.
“Mourinho plays the football I can identify with: tactically perfect, fast, deadly in attack, compact out of a good defence - these days you can only be successful in this way.”
Khedira was a starter in all of Germany’s seven World Cup matches in South Africa, working the defensive midfield together with Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger as the young team impressed with third place.
