Claudio Pizarro has confirmed his departure from Werder Bremen but refused to disclose which club he will be joining next.
The
Peru international had been offered a new contract by the club but has
decided against accepting it in order to continue his career elsewhere.
“That
was a very difficult decision for me because I feel a great love for
the team and this club,” Pizarro told Bremen’s official website.
“But
I would like to end my career by doing something different. What that
is, I cannot say yet. I have some offers that I have yet to evaluate.”
Pizarro has been linked with Bremen’s Bundesliga
rivals Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Borussia Moenchengladbach and
Schalke in recent weeks, while there has also been talk of lucrative
offers from Qatar and the United States.
Bremen sporting director
Klaus Allofs insisted the club bore no ill will towards the 33-year-old
for rejecting the opportunity to extend his stay at the Weserstadion.
“Three times we had managed to convince him to sign for Werder but it was not possible a fourth time,” Allofs said.
“We
are very sorry for that, but glad that finally a decision has been made
and would like to thank Claudio for the great time we have had
together.”
Pizarro joined Bremen in 1999 from Alianza Lima and spent two years with the club before moving to Bayern Munich.
The veteran striker returned in 2008 on loan from Chelsea bef
