Ribéry to decide on future within 10 days

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea are interested, according to Bayern winger

(AFP/ GETTY IMAGES)

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribéry plans to make a final decision on his future within the next 10 days. The 27-year-old's club deal expires in 2011 but, if he does not commit himself to the current Bundesliga leaders, there is little chance of them holding on to him for the final 12 months of his contract and then allowing him to walk away for free.

The Frenchman hinted last month he would favour a move to Spain if he opted to leave Bavaria, but insisted that no decision had been taken. But this week, when asked by the German channel Sport1 if he had a concrete offer from a club on the table, he replied: "No. There is at this time no club who say that I will come or to whom I am going. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea are still interested in me and they want me to play for them.

"We have still some games to play and little recovery time. Therefore I believe that I will determine in the very near future what I will do next year... I hope in the next week or in the next 10 days."

Ribéry wants a five-year contract but insisted last month that economic security would not be the only factor in his decision, with his wife keen to move to sunny climes. He said he will listen to what Bayern have to offer before reaching his decision.

"I will have talks with the club leadership and with my agent," he said. "In a week or 10 days, when the talks have been held, I will know what the situation is."

Yesterday Bayern's chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, expressed his determination to hold on to Ribéry for next season. "We will hold talks. Our clear aim is still to extend the contract. But if we do not achieve that, it doesn't automatically mean that we will sell Franck this summer."

With next week's Champions League semi-final first leg against Lyon a crucial step on the road to what could be a domestic and European double in coach Louis van Gaal's first season, Rummenigge said Arjen Robben would be staying put, the Dutchman having enjoyed a brilliant debut season in Munich. "Arjen's contract here has three more years to run. He is very happy. His father said to me, 'Perhaps he would have been better coming to you three years ago'," he said.

He ruled out a summer bid for the Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, who has been linked with a switch to Chelsea. "I think Dzeko is a very good player, but we will not go there this year. We have no problems in attack. With [Toni] Kroos [on loan at Bayer Leverkusen this season] we have a touch more quality and more options tactically."