Hamburg firm on Mehdi deadline
Hamburg's Iranian international midfielder Mehdi Mahdavikia has been set a January 16 deadline to decide on his future at the club.
Hamburg's sport director Dietmar Beiersdorfer told Asia's Footballer of the Year before Christmas that he must inform the club of his plans by this date in order to enable the Rothosen to plan for the future.
Mahdavikia has reportedly asked for an extension to the deadline, but Beiersdorfer is not prepared to go back on his demand.
"I've told Mehdi that I won't be extending his deadline," he told reporters at HSV's winter training camp in Gran Canaria.
"Mehdi has confirmed that his hesitancy has nothing to do with money, but he is still considering his sporting perspectives and these certainly won't be changing if he is allowed an extra week to think about it."
Should the Iranian fail to commit to the Rothosen, it is likely that several Bundesliga clubs will be looking to lure him away from the AOL Arena at the end of the season.
