AS.com

Málaga coach Manuel Pellegrini said that he didn't think the club was considering selling the Spain international Santi Cazorla, despite the rumours of an offer by Arsenal, and stressed that 20 million would be a giveaway.

"Selling him for 20 million is like giving him away, I don't think the club is in that situation and doesn't intend to do so", Pellegrini stated in a press conference in Barinas, west central Venezuela, where his team will face Zamora F.C. tomorrow in the first of two pre-season friendlies.

"If significant offers come through for players then they're always taken into consideration, but I don't think Santi is going to leave the club for 20 million, because, as I've said, it would be a giveaway", the Chilean coach added as he emphasised that selling a two-time European champion with Spain would be to "undervalue" the European competition.

Pellegrini admitted that "the team was still not confirmed" for next season and would be defined over the coming days.

"We're going to try as best we can to structure the team so that is can be competing on all three fronts", the trainer said when referring to La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, where Málaga will make their debut this year.

Pellegrini avoided any assessments of the players that will form part of his set-up this season and said that he had come to Venezuela, where he arrived on Monday, to work "with the team that belongs to Málaga right now".

He acknowledged that during last year's pre-season "there was a lot of hype" because of the new signings. This year the club has many things waiting to be resolved, even more so because they are competing in the Champions League.

"Perhaps that objective (the Champions League) was achieved earlier than expected and the club wasn't quite ready for all the new requirements it demands", he said.

"That's why it's so important that the internal problems are resolved so we can work calmly and enthusiastically, just like last year's team", he added without going into detail.

In terms of preparation, he said that the team had been working on "all physical and footballing aspects" and were in Venezuela to take advantage of the opportunity to perform well in two matches, tomorrow and Sunday, when they will face Caracas FC.

"The most important thing about the friendlies is that they are useful for both clubs, us and Zamora, as it's a warm-up for the season", he said. He also expects a "serious and quality game".

When asked about the possibility of coaching the Chile team, he reiterated that he has "no ambition" for the position and emphasised that he still has three years left on his current contract.

"I like working in club football, not one week a month for a few days. If one day that's the way things go then fine, if not, no problem", he said.