BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona has sold Argentine midfielder Diego Maradona, the world's most expensive soccer player, to Napoli of Italy for $7.5 million, club officials confirmed Sunday.
Barcelona President Jose Luis Nunez and Napoli President Corrado Ferleiano signed the agreement Saturday night at Barcelona Airport following two months of frustrating negotiations.
'To my regret I had to trade him,' Nunez said. 'I do it against my will, because of the attitude adopted by the player.'
Maradona said, 'It is best that I go,' adding that he preferred to do it without any unpleasantries.
Barcelona turned down Napoli's original bid reportedly because the Italian club failed to produce bank guarantees to back up the offer.
A new round of negotiations broke down Friday, causing Napoli's representatives in Spain to seek out Mexican striker Hugo Sanchez of Atletico Madrid. But Atletico refused the Italian offer of $2.5 million and an exhibition match for Sanchez.
In Naples, fans were so angry at Barcelona's intransigence that the police had to be called out to protect the Spanish consulate. Two fans chained themselves in protest to the gates of the Napoli club headquarters.
On Saturday Barcelona reopened the talks and when agreement was reached, Ferleiano flew from Naples to Barcelona to sign the papers.
Maradona, who joined Barcelona in July 1982 from Argentina's Boca Juniors with a six-year contract for a record $9.2 million, had asked to be transferred, stating publicly he was very unhappy at Barcelona.
Barcelona had hoped Maradona would lead it to the league title that has eluded it since 1974. But the Argentine missed much of his first year with hepatitis and was out three months of last season with a leg injury. Barcelona finished the last two league seasons in third place.
Maradona also faces a three-month ban from Spanish play because of a fight at the end of the FA Cup final last month.
Nunez said the agreement with Napoli called for $3 million up front, a payment of $2 million plus interest in September 1985, and another $2 million plus interest in September 1986.
The payments from Napoli will barely allow Barcelona to pay off what it still owes to the Boca Juniors for Maradona.
'We were exhausting completely all our doubts about whether it was good or bad to have a player on the squad against his will,' Nunez said. 'And under the current conditions it is very difficult to keep Maradona in Barcelona.'
