Valencia want to rebuild with Pires

ARSENAL star Robert Pires is set to become the target of Spanish side Valencia should the club’s former president Francisco Roig return to his old post in forthcoming elections.

Javier Subirats, whom Roig will appoint as Valencia’s sporting director should the elections go to plan, claims he had talks with the London club last weekend.

Subirats said: “Pires would be the key player for our project at Valencia and from what I’ve seen he’s very keen to play in Spain. We’re ready to speak to Arsenal to negotiate a transfer. We would certainly be prepared to pay a lot of money.”

The 29-year-old Pires, who won the World Cup with France in 1998 but missed the 2002 campaign through injury, has yet to finalise a new contract with Arsenal. Pires has been a key player for the Gunners since moving from Marseille for 11 million dollars three years ago.

Subirats added: “I recommended Pires to Valencia years before he left France but Real Madrid got in the middle, everything collapsed, and he ended up at Arsenal.”

Spanish football officials often target big-name players as part of their election manifesto or, as many clubs do elsewhere, to consolidate loyalty from fans.

Valencia beat Arsenal in the Champions League this season but saw their dreams of repeating their final appearances in 2000 and 2001 go down in tatters when they fell to Inter Milan on Tuesday in this season’s quarter-finals.

In the meantime, Christian Vieri, whose goal in Valencia on Tuesday qualified Inter Milan for the Champions League semi-finals, faces a long injury-lay-off.

He came off after 32 minutes in Valencia where Inter lost 2-1 but went through on Vieri’s away goal counting double.

Vieri scored in the fourth minute, Aimar and Baraja replied for Valencia.