According to c4, we can get diego for only 11m under aticle 17. (One of the newspapers), is that accurate? If so that's news to me! Maybe they meant after next season?
“There is an unwritten rule among most European clubs not to go through this clause, thereby safeguarding the champions. Therefore we won’t do it" - Blanc
Man City shouldn't need him though. They have SWP, Elano, Ireland, Petrov and Robinho for attacking midfield already. Sure, they have money to spend, but it just wouldn't be in their best interest to buy Diego as well.
Pretty sure if its a decision between man city and Juve he'll pick juve over them the same way Ronaldinho picked milan over them too (even though they've paid much less for him).
All what we need is a good negotiator to close this deal. We have a decent $$ for this summer (the board themselves said that). We'll play in the CL next season. So we have everything that a player would want in a club.
The key guy here is Secco and Secco alone to make things happen.....
“There is an unwritten rule among most European clubs not to go through this clause, thereby safeguarding the champions. Therefore we won’t do it" - Blanc
~Imagine our strikers constantly receiving world class passing from Giovinco, Diego, Camoranesi and of course Molinaro winning plaudits as he will some how transform into the LB of our wildest dreams. I really hope we get Diego, I can not imagine how many more goals our strikers are going to score with perfectly placed passes set up on a silver platter for them to just put in the back of the net.
I remember reading somewhere that most of Europe's elite clubs have an unwritten rule of not acquiring players who have released themselves using the article 17... so if Diego wants to buy himself out using the article 17 clause, he'll not be welcomed in any of the top clubs in any of the leagues...