Santos: 'Robinho deal is off'

Santos boss Muricy Ramalho has admitted that the club have missed out on the chance to sign AC Milan forward Robinho this summer.

Robinho, 28, had looked set to return to the Brazilian club this summer, but the sales of Milan duo Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris Saint-Germain have scuppered the deal.

"The deal was being made. But the sale of both players complicated things. If they had stayed it would have turned out differently," Ramalho told Terra.

"We were not far apart [in terms of a fee], the effort was great. But Milan did not want to complete the deal and now we know that it will not happen."

Robinho left Santos to join Real Madrid in 2005.