Eto'o set for Mallorca stay

Barcelona had been desperately keen to land the Cameroon international, and the player was eager to move to Camp Nou.

However, Real Madrid - who still own 50 percent of the player's rights - were determined to stop Eto'o ending up at their arch rivals.

Following a meeting between Mallorca supremo Mateo Alemany and his Real and Barca counterparts Florentino Perez and Joan Laporta, it has been decided the player will not be moving to the Catalan titans.

Mallorca and Madrid - who would have shared the fee - have deemed that Barca's ‚é¼15 million bid for the player is not sufficient.

Real now look likely to take up their option to buy Mallorca's half of Eto'o's registration and take the player back to El Santiago Bernabeu.

However, as Los Merengues already have three non-Eu players on their books - Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Walter Samuel - it is all but certain they will loan the player out for the season, and Mallorca seems his most likely destination.

The striker will spend next term with The Islanders before returning to finally recommence his Madrid career the following campaign (2005/06).