Real failed in Ribery bid

Bayern Munich turned down a bid of ?80 million (Dh413m) from Real Madrid for their winger Franck Ribery, according to French newspaper L'Equipe. The sports daily reported yesterday that the Spanish team made the offer three weeks ago, but that Bayern's chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and Bayern manager Uli Hoeness rejected it. No further details were given. Earlier this month, the 26-year-old France winger said he wanted to leave Bayern to join Real, who have been spending heavily since Florentino Perez's return as president. Perez has secured several transfer signings including those of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, Kaka from AC Milan and Lyon's France forward Karim Benzema.

Meanwhile, Bayern have increased Ribery's price tag to at least ?100m. "It was known to everyone we would sell him only before July 15," Hoeness told ZDF television before the 4-1 friendly victory over AC Milan in the Audi Cup. "We did not get the offer we wanted," he said. Asked what the desired offer would have been, Hoeness said: "A three-digit figure [in millions]. We did not get it." Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb has agreed a one-year loan move to former club VfB Stuttgart.

The Belarus international had originally been included in the swap deal that took Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barca from Inter Milan with Samuel Eto'o going in the opposite direction on Monday. The 28-year-old former Arsenal midfielder struggled to break into Pep Guardiola's treble-winning side last season and had been left out of the squad for their tour of the United States, which started on Wednesday.

* Agencies