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Higuain and Benzema to stay put
Jose Mourinho has dismissed reports tat Gonzalo Higuain & Karim Benzema could leave Real Madrid tis summer & suggested he is keen 2 seal the permanent signing of Emmanuel Adebayor.
Mourinho has long made clear his desire 2 strengthen Madrid's 4ward line, & Adebayor arrived on loan fr ManC in January 2 bolster his options aft a long-term injury 2 Higuain heavily restricted his options.
Nonetheless, there hv been numerous reports tat Higuain & Benzema could be on their way out of the Bernabeu, with Arsene Wenger recently saying of the latter: "Signing him does not seem impossible. He's a player tat I like." Higuain's father, meanwhile, said tis week that his son wanted 2 remain in Madrid but confirmed tat "a lot of clubs in Europe like him".
In an interview with Cadena SER on Thursday night, though, Mourinho confirmed the duo were "non-transferable".
Asked whether he would refuse 2 let them leave, he said: "It is not a case of me refusing 2 sell them. I don't make those decisions. If the club 1 2 do something, I'm nobody. We all agree on Higuain & Benzema: we 1 2 keep them."
There had been suggestions tat Mourinho would be taking control of transfer policy @ the club following the departure of general director Jorge Valdano, but he emphasised tat is not the case.
"I hv no more power than I had b4,'' he added. ''Madrid r looking 4 a new model within the organisation. Having a good structure [@ the club] is not a guarantee of success, but a bad structure tat is not suited 2 the modern game - tat is a guarantee of failure. We must modernise & aim 4 perfection.
''I will still only be a coach & nothing more. With Valdano, there was nothing personal. I wish him all the best."
Mourinho, though, is likely 2 hv a significant influence on who arrives @ the club tis summer & was asked abt several players. On Adebayor - who had appeared likely 2 return 2 Eastlands - Mourinho suggested Madrid were keen 2 complete a deal.
"He is a City player & there is a clause 2 buy him,'' he said. ''We r in a good bargaining position & the player 1s 2 stay here. Tat's important."
Atletico Madrid 4ward Sergio Aguero has also been strongly linked with a move 2 the Bernabeu, & his remarks on Thursday tat he would prefer 2 remain in Spain hv been interpreted as a sign tat he could make the controversial move.
"I will not be a hypocrite," Mourinho said. "Kun is a fantastic player - I won't be afraid 2 say it - but he's an Atletico player. Madrid will not contact players b4 making an agreement with their club."
On Benfica's Fabio Coentrao, who has spoken of his determination 2 move 2 Madrid, he added: "He's a great player. I like him 4 his versatility, his ability 2 play all over. Players of his type r always welcome, especially @ a club as demanding as Madrid."
Meanwhile, Mourinho attempted 2 play down his bitter rift with Barcelona, where he worked under Bobby Robson in the late 1990s.
"I was there betw 1997 & 2000," he said. "Fr 2000 to 2011, everything changed - both the ppl & the institution. It's a different club now. I've never said I didn't enjoy working there. I hv nothing against the club.
"I knew Guardiola as a player, but it's been 10 years. Now he is the leader of the team, I don't know him. I knew a different Guardiola; he knew a different me."
Mourinho reiterated tat he was unhappy with the manner in which Barca won the Champions League semi-final but accepted tat their victory over ManU in the final was "well-deserved".
Asked abt Guardiola's description of him as 'the f**king chief' in a press conference ahead of their Champions League meeting, Mourinho said: "It is nothing special. He can say wat he 1s."
Mourinho had appeared 2 hold doubts over his future during the season amid his feud with Valdano, & has said on numerous occasions in the past tat he favours the Premier League.
However, he has stressed tat he 1s 2 stay on next season & denied he had considered leaving.
"The president is a proud leader who knows tat your heart & soul must be in Madrid 2 be here & tat 99.9% of professionals 1 2 be here. If I told him I was considering my future, he would say: 'Pack your bags & go'."
Asked which league he prefers, he said: "The leagues r different. I m now in Spain & Madrid only won 90 points & tat was not enough 2 win the title. Tat is strange @ tis level.
"There is passion everywhere you go & that's important. I'm very happy, so I will stay on next season. If the president, the board, the players & the fans r happy, I will [be @ the club in 2 years' time]."