Chances of Rafael van der Vaart to Hamburg at 30% Claims German Club’s Chairman

Thursday, 30th August, 2012

Hamburg have not yet reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur for Rafael van der Vaart and rate the Dutchman’s chances of landing in Germany at just 30%.

Van der Vaart has been Hamburg’s primary transfer target all summer, but affording the 29-year-old, who enjoyed a three-year spell at the club between 2005 and 2008, before joining Real Madrid, has been difficult.

And as the clock ticks down towards the closing of the summer window, it is still proving to be the main obstacle to welcoming the midfielder back to the club.

While Hamburg are ready to splash out €12M to sign Van der Vaart, Spurs are believed to have demanded a figure of between €15M and €18M – an amount the Bundesliga giants cannot simply afford.

And so, while vowing to do everything possible to sign their former player, Hamburg chairman Carl-Edgar Jarchow has struck a downbeat note on the chances of Van der Vaart arriving before the window closes.

"Right now I estimate the chances of a good outcome to be 30%", Jarchow told the Hamburger Abendblatt.

"Under the present conditions, there cannot be a transfer", he added.

"The fee that is asked for is utopian."

Hamburg will hold out some hope that Spurs may change their stance before the window closes, but movement appears to be needed on the part of the English club to create the conditions for a deal.

Van der Vaart is believed to be keen to head back to the Bundesliga and the familiar surroundings of Hamburg – however it remains to be seen whether a deal can be struck before tomorrow evening’s deadline.