Hamburg have denied reports they are looking to bring Rafael van der Vaart back to the club from Real Madrid.
Bundesliga club shrug off speculation over midfielder
Hamburg have denied reports they are looking to bring Rafael van der Vaart back to the Bundesliga club from Real Madrid.
Holland midfielder Van der Vaart, who began his career with Dutch giants Ajax, departed Hamburg for Primera Liga club Real two years ago in a reported £15million deal.
However, Van der Vaart's future at the Bernabeu has been thrown into doubt by new manager Jose Mourinho's recent capture of German World Cup star Mesut Ozil.
The midfielder has been linked with moves to Manchester United and Schalke this summer, and more recently his former club Hamburg.
But the German outfit's general manager Bastian Reinhardt insists they do not have the funds to re-sign the 27-year-old, who is contracted at Real until June 2013.
Quality
"Rafael van der Vaart is a player of exceptional quality and we are aware he is still highly regarded by our supporters," Reinhardt told the
Hamburger Morgenpost.
"But it is a fact he is under contract with Real Madrid for longer than the end of the season.
"I am unaware of how we should be able to afford him. I do not know where the money for that is supposed to come from."
