Malaga striker Jose Salomon Rondon is set to sign for Russian outfit Rubin Kazan over the weekend.
Reports in Spain say the Venezuelan international was left behind to finalise negotiations, along with his agent, over a possible move as the rest of his teammates jetted out to Italy for the friendly with Juventus on Saturday.
The 22-year-old has been the club’s top scorer for the past two seasons following his €3.5m capture from Segunda B side Las Palmas in July 2010, for what was then a record transfer fee for the Costa del Sol outfit.
However, Los Blanquiazules are now poised to sell off most of their top players in order to raise money to pay off mounting debts after being put up for sale by Qatari owner Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani.
Rondon still has two years of his contract left at La Rosaleda and could command a fee of around €10m, a figure that would go a long way to alleviating the financial crisis engulfing the club.
Midfielder Santi Cazorla is also on the verge of a €16m to Arsenal and, with Malaga preparing for a first-ever Champions League campaign, the Sheikh’s sudden decision to disassociate himself from the club has had fans scratching their heads.
Local newspaper Sur in English understands from a club source that Al-Thani, who bought Malaga from the Sanz family in summer 2010, has lost interest in the project after a lucrative broadcasting deal for the forthcoming season did not materialise.
He is also reported to be angered by the bureaucratic red tape which has delayed his plans to build a world-class football development centre in the city, including a brand new state-of-the-art stadium.
