Calderon admits Villa interest

Oct 31, 2007 - 11:27 AM MADRID, Spain (Ticker) - Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has not ruled out a possible move for David Villa sometime in the future, but insisted Tuesday they would not break the bank to bring the Valencia hitman to the Bernabeu.

Real were closely linked in the media with a move for the Spain international earlier this month, so much so that the reigning Primera Liga giants released an official statement denying they were interested.

"Any executive or professional never closes the doors to anything," Calderon said when asked about Villa on television station Canal 9 on Tuesday.

"I suppose that a general director of a bank never says that he would never go to another bank if he had a good offer."

If they do go for Villa though, Calderon insists they will not be spending $216 million on the striker, which is reportedly the buy-out clause on the 25-year-old's long-term contract with Valencia.

"With Ramon Calderon as president of this club, we will never pay ($216 million) for a player," said Calderon, who insists if they did make a move for Villa they would do it through the right channels.

"What we don't do, we haven't done, or will do is for any management to bring in Villa or any other player without the knowledge of their president," he added. "I personally have called the Valencia president (Juan Soler) to tell him that it (the recent rumors about Villa) is not true."

Real take on Valencia in the Primera Liga on Wednesday night at the Mestalla.