Panathinaikos and Flamengo Negotiating a Swap Deal Involving Gilberto Silva and Kleberson

Panathinaikos midfielder Gilberto Silva has been linked with a move to Brazilian club Flamengo, being involved in a swap deal which would see Kléberson taking the opposite route.

Both the clubs have already negotiated for the swap deal, but they are yet to reach an agreement mainly because of Kleberson’s high wage which has reportedly stalled the negotiations for some time now. However, it is most likely that negotiations would start very soon and the deal could be struck sooner than later.

Gilberto Silva joined Greek giants Panathinaikos in 2008 after finishing a highly successful 6-year stint with Arsenal. The holding midfielder rose to prominence during his Arsenal days and won a Premier League, 2 FA Cup and 2 Community Shield titles with the Gunners.

Kleberson did not see huge success in Europe. He failed to impress at Manchester United during his 2-year spell, before joining Turkish giants Besiktas. He finally returned to Brazil as he joined Flamengo in 2007.

Gilberto Silva, 33, has also attracted interest of Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson who is currently looking for a replacement of Mascherano, who already revealed his desire to join Inter Milan this summer. However, Gilberto Silva is reportedly keen to return to his country.

Kleberson may have failed to impress in Europe, but the 31-year-old has been in impressive form with Flamengo, and Panathinaikos is interested to secure his service. Now, if the problem regarding his salary can be resolved, there is possibility the swap deal could be done pretty soon.