Real’s interest in Vieira is getting ‘irritating’ for Gunners

ARSENAL chairman Peter Hill-Wood yesterday admitted he is “becoming irritated” by Real Madrid’s repeated attempts to hijack Gunners skipper Patrick Vieira.

The French international midfielder has been linked with a major transfer to either Real Madrid, Juventus or even Manchester United in recent summers.

Vieira signed a lucrative new three-year contract at Arsenal just a year ago after Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich made a verbal offer for both Vieira and Thierry Henry to Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.

The player’s agent is playing down reports that the player’s representatives are about to sit down with the Real’s power-brokers to discuss a move.

Steve Kutner says any switch to Madrid - reported in some quarters as involving a £30 million (€45 million) fee - can only be made through Arsenal.

Vieira - like the Gunners’ other Euro 2004 stars - has still to report back for pre-season training, and has not yet had his say on the matter.

But speculation linking him with Real intensified following Florentino Perez’s victory in the Spanish club’s presidential election at the weekend.

And Hill-Wood said: “Real Madrid being linked with Patrick has happened so often before that it is starting to become irritating - we have no intention of selling him.”

Kutner said : “Just because Perez says he admires a player doesn’t mean he is going to sign him.”

Reports in Spain claim at least one Italian club will shortly make public their interest in signing Vieira and that Real galactico Zinedine Zidane has told Perez he wants to play alongside his international colleague at the Bernabeu.

Vieira, who joined Arsenal from AC Milan in 1996 for £3.5 million (€5.3 million), has previously resisted overtures from several other clubs - but in these days of supreme player-power he certainly has not been forced to do so.

One move between Spain and Arsenal has been confirmed though, with the official arrival of Celta Vigo goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

The 27-year-old player was on loan at Albacete all last season.

Arsenal have released precious few details about the transfer but the “undisclosed” fee they have paid in order to sign Almunia on “a long-term contract” is probably the balance, around £1.5 million (€2.2 million), of the money owed to them by Celta Vigo for the purchase two years ago of Brazilian left-back Silvinho.

The defender this week completed his own transfer to Barcelona for around €3 million while Arsenal’s second string goalkeeper Graham Stack moved to Millwall on loan for the whole of next season and Swede Rami Shaaban was released.