[Enigma]

Berbatov rumours always come out around this time, happened last year and happened in January. To be honest, if we were going to get him I think we would have got him last season. He's a good player but I'm not sure if he's what we need.

[Renegade™]

^ Exactly. If we wanted him, we would've had atleas MADE an official offer for him.

[Role Model]

I believe some of it, it was different last summer, Spurs didn't want to sell and Berbs for some reason didn't want to go. I'll see how the story develops, but it's not totally out there for us to be interested in him.

[Renegade™]

Eh I'd rather Super Klaas tbf.

[King Kenny]

It looks as if (going ny rumuours) that Alonso could sign on Monday.

It annoys me, that we'll be selling Alonso for less than he's worth, a great creative midfielder, while going after a defensive midfielder in Barry? Who is also overpriced.

[Role Model]

You have to spend money and learn to get ripped off, I've got used to it.

[King Kenny]

More gossip...goal.com

14/06/2008 10:24
Madrid To Take Ronaldo Bid Directly To Glazers
Cristiano Ronaldo has allegedly accepted a staggering £300,000-a-week offer from Real Madrid via his agent, and the Spanish champions now hope to out-flank Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United by lodging a world-record £75million bid directly to the Glazer family in order to secure the Portuguese winger's signature. That, at least, is what the Daily Express is reporting this morning.
»Comments (31) Print This Story Send To A Friend Contact Us galleria zoom Real Madrid's offer to Cristiano Ronaldo would make him by far the world’s highest-paid player, andthe player seems to be edging ever closer to Los Blancos, if the mediaeports are to be believed.

The Express disclosestoday that Real plan to appeal to Manchester United's owners, the Glazers, to accept Ronaldo's wishes for a transfer – and collect a massive fee for letting the player go.

Apparently United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, already incensed by Real's tactics, was tipped off two weeks ago that Real might try something like this, so chief executive David Gill imediately talked to the Glazers, receiving assurances that they would not listen to Madrid, but would leave transfer negotiations to the management.

The prompted Fergie to say: “What Real Madrid are doing is awful. I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers and their attitude was, ‘to hell with them’. They would sit a player in the stand – I’m telling you – to prove a point.

“They’re not going to give in. They’ve got balls and I’ve been delighted with them in that respect.”

However, Real Madrid will not be deterred from going directly to the Glazers, knowing that the family's ownership of United is highly-leveraged, incurring huge annual interest payments. The Glazers have insisted that their £600million debts and £80millon interest repayments can be managed out of club resources.

But Real will tell them that Ronaldo is "committed to a move," and that Ferguson’s opposition to a transfer is wasting the club’s biggest single playing asset.

United have already complained about Real’s unorthodox and provocative tactics to Fifa, but the world governing body sided with Madrid.

Ferguson is now suggesting, apparently, that United go back to Fifa with the new information about how Real Madrid are conducting themselves towards a player who is under contract to United.

It is believed that United pay Ronaldo a not insignificant £125,000-a-week already, but are not prepared to enter into a salary auction tokeep a player who,for all his achievements last season, may be fast losing goodwill among United fans.

According to The Daily Mail, the Glazers had already assured Ferguson that the estimated £75million sale of Ronaldo would not be used to help pay off the club's debts but instead be used to strengthen the squad. That hardly sounds like a categorical refusal to sell - but then it is presumably becoming increasingly difficult for Ronaldo to contemplate returning to Old Trafford after the events and statements of the last few weeks.

Mark Hinton, Goal.com

[Role Model]

Not even worth reading.

[Renegade™]

Anything to sell papers/get website hits.

[Rex Regum]

Goal wouldn't be a bad site if they didn't continually just make up completely bullshit reports like that. Some of their writers are good and know what there talking about and they have good preview and match reports ect., but I just can't even go on the site because I hate being bombarded with their made up headlines.