Following the 2008–09 season, constant speculation began to surface regarding Ribéry's availability on the transfer market. Despite Bayern president Uli Hoeneß, executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and new manager Louis van Gaal declaring that Ribéry would not be sold, numerous media outlets declared that English clubs Chelsea and Manchester United, Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, and Italian outfit Inter Milan had strong interest in the player, with many of the clubs willing to offer as much as €65 million for his services.[69][70][71][72] In order to quell the interest, Hoeneß declared that Ribéry would leave for nothing less than €100 million.[73]