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120dimitarberbatovFerguson will pull plug as Spurs row scuppers deal

UNITED TO QUIT ON BERBATOV

By DAVID HARRISON

MANCHESTER UNITED are set to pull the plug on their bid to sign Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov.

United have become aware that Spurs are willing to sell the Bulgarian to any club BUT themselves despite the European champions making a £20million bid for the player.

And the asking price could soar to £38m after United’s interest provoked a public spat between Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Sir Alex Ferguson over alleged tapping-up of Berbatov, with Tottenham lodging a formal complaint with the Premier League.

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That prompted the United boss to threaten to take legal action against Levy but the fall-out is now that Berbatov’s desired move to Old Trafford looks doomed.

300dimitarberbatovFergie has already begun to look at alternative strikers who could act as a foil to Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

Agreed

Among those he has watched have been Ajax hitman Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz  — both also chased by Arsenal.

After ignoring overtures from Real Madrid this summer, Tevez will sign a four-year contract with United at some point over the next couple of months.

The Old Trafford club have agreed a £33m fee with Tevez’s owners, who are no longer MSI, for the Argentina forward.

Tevez’s advisor, Kia Joorabchian, explained: “Carlos Tevez’s economic rights are owned by a third party, based offshore — but this is not MSI.”

Tevez’s initial arrival at Old Trafford was dragged out almost until the start of last season as the Premier League satisfied themselves over a loan deal for the striker, even though it was almost identical to the one which saw Javier Mascherano leave West Ham for Liverpool.

But the 24-year-old created a hugely favourable impression at United, leaving Sir Alex in no doubt he wanted to sign the player on a permanent basis.

Comments

fergy gets a taste of his own medicene remember HEIZE

Dimitar Berbatov does not want to play for Spurs,once again players show no Loyalty just greed.I am a Spurs supporter so i say sell or stick him in the reserves and let him Rot.

I say let him go, but only to a foreign club like Barca, Real or Milan. We'd make less money, but we can't be selling our best players to the big four, if we're trying to break into that elite club.

Do whatever it takes to keep Berba at the lane and buy David Villa to play up front with him

Clubs such as Tottenham need to take it with a pinch of salt that there players want to move on and win tropheys.

A talented player like Berba doesn't deserve to win a Carling cup once every 30 years.

Stop blaming "greed" and start looking at the obvious thats slapping you in the face.... You cannot hold on to great players when most of these players have ambitions to actually achieve during there careers.

berba should take a look at saha if you get any form of injury sir alex will not stand by you unless you are gary nevelle or wayne rooney.

Your assuming hes going to actually get an injury?

Saha has been injury prone and the price we paid for him reflects that. Berba hasn't got a history of injury.

These attempts at finding excuses for him to stay at Tottenham are a joke.

If you manage to sign 3 or 4 top players to compete with the top 4 then he may have a reason to stay but as of now he has no chance of lifting any silverware (good silverware) with Tottenham.

Thank god we didn't sign him!!Rather have someone younger,fitter and more of a team player!!Said it before and I'll say it again!!We need Falcao,He's deadly with both feet and in the air,electric pace and only 22!!

let him join Manutd, Spurs & United are not competitors as Spurs are mid table mediocrits!

We must keep players like this at the lane,if you keep selling top class players to other clubs being premier or european,were never get champions league.It`s obvious,good players get you into a good cup,generate more money.Then you sell them,when they want to go.As top players want to play in top competions.But we got to get there 1st,so keep him.

Why not let she join women united she has been acting like a girl for two long!

"Cockney manc n proud" your name sums you up and it's "their" careers not "there", so perhaps you did grow up in Manchester after all.
As always the Man u supporters are making more noise on a forum than in their ground!

I remember HEINZE.Never heard of HEIZE though.

The problem here is obvious, Levy!!! It was Levy who went to the media and declared United's interest in Berbatov, and also indicated that Spurs had rejected an opening offer for the Bulgarian striker. He then ranted that Sir Alex was a Hypocrite and tried to liken Uniteds attempt to sign Dimitar to that of Real's pursuit of Ronaldo. Thing is Real have never made a bid on Ronnie, United did with Berba. United didn't go public, Real haven't stopped going public all summer. Then once he'd wrongly accused Ferguson of "publicly tapping up" Dimi he then goes on to state that he'd "probably have to do business now because the players head has been turned!!" It's amazing that someone of Levy's position can singlehandedly cause all the problems and yet try to point the finger at the other club who've not once did anything other than make a formal bid, which any club can do for any player. If Levy doesn't want to sell Berbatov then simply say "NOT FOR SALE" just as United have done every time Real have come sniffing round Cristiano. He hasn't though and I'd not blame United for walking away from a possible transfer of Berbatov and instead turn their attentions to that of Huntelaar, Villa or Eto'o giving that all 3 are top strikers who'd improve United's attack and who have all been placed for sale by their clubs. Truth be told the £22m United were willing to pay Spurs was always too much for someone of Dimitar's age anyway. Spurs will be lucky to get half that for him next year.

i left this message for all the spurs' fans.berbatov not only once before claimed that he's greatful to tottenham being the club that paid money for him in the past and helped him,he always says that he's happy there.have you ever heard any bad word comming from his mouth???the answer is no!!!but tell me how will you expect berba to be happy now staying in london in your poor team?with no help from his teammates,they're not at his level they're not smarter than he's in the way of accepting the futball game.I agree that maybe his price is too high for paying but i hope that the team that really wants to have one of the best strikers in europe will pay it.for everybody that still doubt the class of berba is big enough for manchester untd well buy him and then you'll surely fill the forums with great speeches about his moving on the field,his brilliant goals,his smile at last.

sir alex is a hypocrite, the same way they refused to sell ronaldo to madrid and heinze to l.pool, thats the same way they r been treated by spurs, wots good 4the goose is also good 4the .................

Re; Simon, Derry,
When Berbatov signed for Tottenham Man U came in with a late bid, but Berbatov turned down Alec Ferguson & United claiming Spurs 'wanted me more' as Tottenham had chased him for a year.

As such there was never going to be a bid from Man U because Mr Ferguson does not give second chances.

As much as I admire Berbatov I think we should release him because he does not seem to be a team player, a bit like Defoe.

Colin the Barber - Yes United did put a late bid in for Berbatov before he moved to Spurs. Yes Dimi was also quoted as saying that "Spurs wanted me more" too. Thing is though that he signed for Spurs after being told that Spurs was on the up, that they'd be playing Champions League football and that they'd sign other top stars. The fact of the matter is that Spurs haven't delivered on their promises to Berba. It's been 2 years and the only silverware Spurs have to show for all these promises is a single Carling Cup trophy. I've no doubt that Berbatov has watched United win 2 titles and the Champions League with envy, knowing full well he could have been there and played his part too. United will always come looking for the best players nomatter if they've turned down the chance before, look at Ruud, Blanc, Bosnich to name but a few who've been asked more than once to sign for United. You also have players like Shearer, Del Piero, Nesta and Thuram who've all been asked more than once by Sir Alex only to turn down United and stay with the club they were at. So it's just nonsense that you can claim that "there was never going to be a bid from Man U because Mr Ferguson does not give second chances", especially when your own chairman Daniel Levy admitted that "Spurs had turned down United's opening offer for Berbatov". As I've said before United can look elsewhere for top strikers and there are a few world-class ones around but Spurs will suffer most because they will not get anything near the money United would be willing to put on the table.

majornd - You are an idiot. ref my 1st post to show how different the Real/Ronaldo saga is to that of United/Berbatov. Oh an just for the record Heinze pushed for the Liverpool move, Sir Alex was never going to let him have his way and especially not to United's biggest domestic rivals. Heinze threatened United with courts and made himself look like a fool and a mercenary. Are you then saying that Berbatov has been doing the same thing because I've not read any of that in the media you stupid tool. Grow up and accept that United have done nothing wrong in making a bid for a player they wished to sign. If you must blame anyone for this fiasco then the blame lays firmly at Daniel Levy's feet for going public with it in the first place.

Simon Derry, I believe that you truly are a tool of monolith proportions! I have every regard for the fact that you want to stand up for your club and want to accept that everything they say/do is the rightuous path, but just to remind you that Levy's response to ManUsa and Red Nose is that Berba "is not for sale". The fact that rednose has continually made noises in the press and using back hand methods to try nad unsettle the player, is clearly wrong. If you are told the player is not for sale, why would you continue your press campaign if not to unsettle the player? Personally, I hope that Berba makes a move somewhere as I am clearly iritated by the whole fiasco.

Chris Kent your right someone spelt HEIZE instead of Heinze and in Heinze contract in stated that man united could not sell him to rival team and the team who wanted to buy Heinze LIVERPOOL so thats a rival team to united is it not. I say let the player speak, Im a united fan I wish ronlado would say what he wants to do I dont care if he wants to leave. And lets not forget hes 27 years-old, yes it the prime age for a footballer but I thought united would buy Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and have to say united have not been the same upfront since Ruud van Nistelrooy left when you think from 2001 – 2006 he scored 150 goals in 210 Appearances.

if berbatov just wants to warm the bench, then he should move to man upvc, the club that wrecks careers. but then it is highly hypocritical of man upvc to go whinging about ronaldo when they have tapped up every player they have ever bought. still spurs should hold out for more, they paid more for rooney, and lets be honest, his the biggest flop ever, next to tevez, and man upvc paid well over 20 million for those planks the mugs.

Paul: "if berbatov just wants to warm the bench, then he should move to man upvc, the club that wrecks careers."

you've got to be kidding. wake up to yourself.

Of course you'd pay more for Rooney who still, to this day, has potential to further progress as a player.

You're a downright twit.

Rooney???

LMAO

That fat slob's already become too comfortable and lost his mediocre skills he had to start with

berba deserves to play in a team as manchester?don''t you think...well if it happens you'll see !

who cares about berba .... we would much rather see the likes of sergio aguero playin along wit wayne n tevez

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