MENDIETA LINK RESURFACES, PEP NO
Originally a hot target for Real president Florentino Pérez in the summer, Valencia were quick to dispel rumours of a move for Mendieta, and immediately offered the midfielder an improved contract.
However, despite the heavy spending by Real, and the recent financial troubles at the club, the Valencia midfielder has again returned to the forefront of Pérez's desires.
At present he has a buy-out clause of 10,000 million pesetas (around £40 million), so it would require another move on the scale of the Luis Figo transfer to see the player arrive at the Bernabeu.
Perhaps unsurprisingly though, the high fee doesn't seem to deter the Madrid giants, who currently sit third in the Spanish table, three points behind Mendieta's Valencia.
Recently, Mendieta has also been subject to some barracking by the fans in the Mestalla and, while he has reiterated several times that he has no desire to leave the club, a move may be a good chance for him to regain the stunning form that made has made him one of the most consistent midfielders in Europe.
Also linked with a summer move to the Bernabéu is Josep Guardiola and, while it seems unlikely that Barcelona would allow Real Madrid to step in, the player has cut off the talk at the head.
Despite the fact that his contract is set to expire on the 30th of June, giving him freedom to talk to other clubs about a move from January 1st 2001 he has pledged his future to Barca.
"If I were to go to Madrid," he said. "The fans in Barcelona would kill me."
