United close in on Berbatov

[Elano]

DIMITAR BERBATOV expects to be a Manchester United player within the next 48 hours.

The Bulgarian striker has told his Tottenham team-mates that he is on his way to Old Trafford.

The £25million deal ends a year-long pursuit of the player by United boss Alex Ferguson.

As we reported on Saturday, United were confident the deal would be done by the end of this week.

Now the Champions hope to unveil him as their new signing in time to be eligible for their big kick-off against Newcastle on Sunday.

Berbatov, 27, feared the deal might be off when reports surfaced of possible United moves for Thierry Henry at Barcelona and Valencia’s David Villa.

But Berbatov was always Ferguson’s No1 one target. He has had three bids rejected — last summer, in the New Year and at the end of this season.

Ferguson said last week: “We are looking at three or four different options about the strike department which we hope will come to a happy conclusion.

“Hopefully, we will have someone in for the start of the season.”

Meanwhile, United winger Ryan Giggs admits this could be his last season. The legendary Welshman, 34, said: “In the last couple of seasons, I’ve gone into competitions as if they were my last.

“I’m not getting any younger so it could be my final season.

“That’s my motivation — to stay in the team with good players around you, and to win things because you want to experience what we did last season.”

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Patience pays off as Manchester United close in on deal for Dimitar Berbatov

Manchester United are hopeful that Dimitar Berbatov’s move from Tottenham Hotspur could be agreed in time for the forward to make his debut on Sunday when the champions begin their defence of the Barclays Premier League title against Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

No fee has yet been agreed by the clubs, who remain in dispute over the rights and wrongs of United’s pursuit of the player, but intermediaries, including Emil Dantchev, Berbatov’s agent, were continuing to work on the deal late last night. Tottenham officials maintained that claims of an agreement were premature, but a breakthrough is believed to be imminent, with the final fee likely to be in excess of £28 million. Berbatov is merely waiting for permission to travel to Manchester to discuss personal terms and have a medical examination, possibly as early as today. The deal is likely to be concluded by tomorrow.

Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chief executive, has been aggrieved by United’s behaviour regarding Berbatov, with the Premier League board due to meet either today or tomorrow to pass judgment over the London club’s complaint, which effectively amounts to an accusation of an illegal approach. The United hierarchy believes that Tottenham are using this perceived grievance to give them greater leverage in negotiations over a fee, but, even though relations between the clubs have become strained, both sides appear to recognise that a deal is now a matter of when, rather than if.

Having informed Juande Ramos, the Tottenham head coach, of his desire to join United earlier in the summer, Berbatov has cut a forlorn figure during his team’s pre-season campaign, convincing club officials that it would be wrong to keep a player who is clearly unhappy. Tottenham were also compelled to sell Robbie Keane to Liverpool for £20.3 million, but Ramos believes that he can take the team forward even after selling their two principal forwards. Ramos has a strong interest in Roman Pavlyuchenko, the Spartak Moscow forward, but the word from White Hart Lane is that the head coach is not seeking a like-for-like replacement for Berbatov as he tries to develop a 4-5-1 formation that will accommodate two of his summer signings, David Bentley and Luka Modric.

Ramos completed another deal yesterday, bringing César Sánchez, 36, the goalkeeper, from Real Zaragoza on a one-year loan, and he remains hopeful of persuading Vedran Corluka, the Manchester City defender, to sign. City vetoed an £8 million deal on Sunday evening, with Corluka having seemingly told Mark Hughes, the City manager, that his preference was to stay in Manchester, but there remains an expectation at Tottenham that the deal could still go ahead.

In contrast to Tottenham, United have been quiet in the transfer market this summer, having signed only Davide Petrucci, a 16-year-old midfield player, from AS Roma, but Sir Alex Ferguson would be delighted by the signing of Berbatov. The United manager inquired about the Bulgaria forward last summer, only to be told by Tottenham that he was not for sale but, even though Ferguson gave the impression that he would look elsewhere after having a £20.5 million bid rejected last month, Berbatov has been his priority for some time.

Ferguson’s urgency has been heightened by immediate concerns over Cristiano Ronaldo, who will miss the first six weeks of the season with an ankle injury, and Wayne Rooney, who remains doubtful for Sunday’s game against Newcastle after contracting a virus, but he shares the club’s belief that it is more sensible to wait and negotiate a fee rather than simply accede to Tottenham’s demands.

Berbatov’s arrival would almost certainly spell the end of Louis Saha’s United career, with Roma retaining an interest in the France forward, but Ferguson believes that the new signing would leave his attacking department well stocked, with Fraizer Campbell and Danny Welbeck available even if Manucho, the Angola forward, is frustrated in his latest application for a work permit.

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[Lil White Azz]

Damn this gotta be true now... 

[KURUPTION-81]

cant see this happening till spurs buy another striker