Marcus Berg stance laid out by 'reasonable' Panathinaikos to Al Ain

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  • Marcus Berg is going to the World Cup with Sweden after a stellar season in the Arabian Gulf League.

    Greek giants Panathinaikos have vowed not to block Sweden star Marcus Berg’s lucrative move to Al Ain as long as their “perfectly reasonable demands” are met.

    Berg, 30, has emerged as a stellar cure to the Boss’ long-term problems up top ever since they sanctioned the sale of the iconic Asamoah Gyan to Shanghai SIPG in July 2015. A fee of about €5 million (Dh20.4m) fee has been demanded for the man – who has already travelled to the Garden City – with 12 goals in 47 international appearances and started Blagult’s 2-1 World Cup 2018 qualifying win against France on June 9.

    Reacting on Tuesday, his amenable current employers stated they would not provide unmovable resistance to their star striker’s desire to push a transfer through.

    “We understand the possible desire of the player to gain at this stage of his career a move with significant economic benefit,” said the side for whom Berg has struck 73 times in 116 Superleague Greece clashes since a July 2013 move from Hamburg

    “Panathinaikos does not intend to stand in the way of these efforts of Marcus, with the prerequisite that perfectly reasonable demands of the club will be met.

    “Although obvious, we wish to point out that Panathinaikos wants to continue with Marcus. But if financial, family and other reasons drive him to another choice for his career, we will respect it.”

    Al Ain have added Japan defender Tsukasa Shiotani this month to their four-player foreign quota.

    Berg was top scorer in last season’s Greek top flight as To Trifylli – the Shamrock – finished third. He has also played for IFK Goteborg in his homeland, plus Groningen and PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

    The attacker – who is renowned for his heading ability – first came to prominence with a record seven goals in four games for Sweden at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.

    Al Ain have churned through Nigeria’s Emmanuel Emenike, Brazilian Douglas and Saudi Arabia’s Nasser Al Shamrani since Gyan departed. Their return of 58 goals was 14 less than 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League champions Al Jazira, as they finished fourth.

    Berg will be expected to lead a charge into the 2017 AFC Champions League quarter-finals against Saudi giants Al Hilal.

    Meanwhile, Garden City alumnus Jorge Valdivia’s career has come full circle after he returned to boyhood side Colo-Colo now his Al Wahda contract has expired.

    Valdivia, 33, underwhelmed with the Clarets as the Chile playmaker’s heralded summer 2015 switch yielded just eight goals and eight assists in 34 AGL games.

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