Manchester United made a longawaited breakthrough last
night in their bid to sign Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic, the two
Serbian youngsters, in a combined £16.3 million deal from Partizan
Belgrade.
The move was thrown into doubt last month because of Tosic’s
wage demands and the number of agents trying to get involved in the
transfer, prompting reports that Arsenal or Manchester City could
hijack the deal. But it emerged last night that, after another day
of negotiations, those potential snags have been overcome and that,
barring a last-minute hitch, the joint move will be announced in
the coming days.
Tosic, a 21-year-old winger, is expected to move to Old Trafford
immediately, having been granted a work permit, although the timing
of Ljajic’s arrival is less clear, given that the midfield player,
17, may benefit from spending the remainder of the season with
Partizan.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, who made a personal plea
on Tosic’s behalf at his work-permit hearing in Sheffield, regards
the pair as players of outstanding potential, with Tosic, a full
international, regarded as a potential long-term successor to Ryan
Giggs. Under the terms of the deal, United have agreed to pay
Partizan a maximum of £16.3 million if the players meet certain
pre-identified targets, but the up-front payments will be
considerably smaller.
Tosic and Ljajic are likely to be United’s only acquisitions
during the transfer window, with the future of Carlos Tévez
unlikely to be resolved until the summer. The Argentina striker’s
two-year loan agreement at Old Trafford expires at the end of the
season, but, while United had hoped to secure the permanent signing
of the forward before Christmas, the situation appears likely to
drag on.
Although Tévez has expressed concerns to Ferguson at being used
primarily as back-up for Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, he is
thought to view his long-term future as being at Old Trafford,
despite interest in the player from Arsenal, Inter Milan and Real
Madrid. David Gill, the United chief executive, has held a series
of discussions with Kia Joorabchian, the businessman who owns the
player’s economic rights, but a deal has yet to be concluded.
United are understood to have paid between £6 million and £10
million to secure Tévez on loan, with those costs expected to be
included in a final fee that has been forecast to exceed £30
million. With Tévez not guaranteed a starting position in
Ferguson’s first-choice XI this season, United would prefer to be
able to negotiate the price, although there is the possibility that
their hand could be forced by rival interest.
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