Olympiakos lands defender following frantic bidding war
Olympiakos has acquired Aris central defender Avraam Papadopoulos, after the player once again expressed to the Thessaloniki soccer club his desire to join the champion club and Panathinaikos withdrew its interest yesterday. A night of intense speculation, bids and counter-bids from Olympiakos and Panathinaikos on Thursday saw offers for the player rise from 1.2 million euros (Olympiakos’s original offer up until Thursday afternoon) to 2.8 million euros within a few hours. Subsequently, Papadopoulos met Aris president Lambros Skordas yesterday morning and told him he would either go to Olympiakos or stay at Aris for one more year, as his contract ends in June 2009. In the afternoon Panathinaikos announced it was withdrawing its offers for and interest in the player, stating that it refuses to join an auction for him. As a result, Olympiakos was left alone in the race for the player’s signature. Papadopoulos went to Piraeus in the evening and met with Olympiakos officials to sign his contract. Reports suggest the deal will close at 2.5 million euros. Separately, Olympiakos is about to check out the brother of Liverpool star player Xabi Alonso, Mikel. The 28-year-old will arrive on Sunday at Seefeld in Austria, where the Reds are conducting their pre-season training. Mikel Alonso is a defensive midfielder who belongs to Real Sociedad but spent the last season on loan to Bolton Wanderers. Olympiakos played its first friendly game in Austria yesterday evening, thrashing Austrian third-division club SV Hall 6-0. Rivals Panathinaikos yesterday agreed terms with Croatia’s Hajduk Split for the transfer of 22-year-old striker Ante Rukavina. The deal will cost Panathinaikos 2.3 million euros and secure the Croatia international for the Greens for the next four years. He is expected to arrive in Athens today for medical tests and to sign his contract.
