In demand: Cole has flourished under the tutelage
of Gianfranco Zola
Manchester
United plan to make a £20million bid
for
West Ham’s Carlton Cole when
the transfer window reopens in January.
Sir Alex Ferguson wants to add strength to a squad weakened by
the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez and has
identified the England man as a replacement.
Nevertheless, a spokesman at Upton Park insisted last night that
Cole is ‘not for sale’, and added: ‘We want to keep all our best
players and the suggestion that we need to sell because of a
financial crisis is not true.’
Cole has missed out on England’s friendly against Brazil in
Qatar tonight because of injury but his development under Fabio
Capello, as well as the progress he has made working with
Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke at West Ham, has made him an
attractive proposition.
Liverpool are also understood to be interested.
For Ferguson, though, Cole is someone who could play with Wayne
Rooney and who offers something different — more of a physical
presence — from the forwards he has at Old Trafford.
Ferguson has hardly touched the £80m United received for
Ronaldo.