Hamburg have insisted that they are determined to keep want-away midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
Hoffmann keen to hold onto midfielder
Hamburg have insisted that they are determined to keep want-away midfielder Rafael van der Vaart at the HSH Nordbank Arena.
Van der Vaart is contracted to Hamburg until June 2010, but has previously voiced his yearning to play UEFA Champions League football with a Spanish side.
The 24-year-old was photographed with a Valencia shirt in August just before Hamburg rejected a €14million (£9.7million) bid for the Holland international.
Van der Vaart was disciplined by Hamburg for his actions, but the club have not given up hope of keeping their captain, who has scored seven Bundesliga goals so far this season.
Contract clause
"The topic is not closed for us," Hamburg manager Bernd Hoffmann told Kicker magazine.
"We are working on it; we want Rafael to stay with us for a long time."
Hoffmann will be keen to resolve the matter quickly, as Van der Vaart's contract has a clause which allows him to leave in 2009 for the fixed fee of €1.5million (£1million).
