HARGREAVES HOPES OUT OF THE WINDOW

zocoss SG

Manchester United chief executive David Gill has admitted the Premiership leaders have virtually no chance of signing Owen Hargreaves before the transfer window shuts on Wednesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson made the England midfielder his number one January target but despite raising his bid to a reported £20million, it has still not been enough to persuade Bayern Munich to sell.

Following a board meeting on Thursday, Bayern officials have suggested that while there will be no deal this month, the transfer could be concluded next summer. And although Ferguson claimed on Friday he had not entirely given up hope of landing Hargreaves this month, Gill is adopting a more pessimistic stance.

"I can confirm we are interested in the player and we have been since last summer but at the moment Bayern Munich aren't willing to sell him and we will have to leave it at that," Gill told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

With United also falling behind Tottenham in the race to sign Southampton's £10million-rated full-back Gareth Bale, it appears increasingly likely that Henrik Larsson will be the only new face to arrive at Old Trafford this month. The veteran Swede has made an instant impact with the Red Devils and saw a perfectly legitimate volley incorrectly ruled out for offside against Portsmouth.

As it presently stands, Larsson is due to return to Helsingborgs in the middle of March, with Gill insisting there had been no discussion with Ferguson over whether to extend the forward's stay.

"I know for a fact Alex, Carlos (Queiroz) and all the players are very impressed with Henrik in terms of what he can do, his attitude and how he has fitted in," said Gill. "We want great players at the club but we have not really discussed that we are focusing on the next few weeks and we will see what happens. "I think it is a bit early, you never say never, but we will go through that nearer the time with Henrik and the club."

R3SsH|n SG

germans are not famous for being mentally strong for nothing... Laughing

imprezaWRXSTi22B SG

well. 20 million is already a tad too much. if they dun want to sell, good luck to them....

wonder if larsson will extend his stay? he seems to fit in perfectly

used SG

they dont really need him now… fergie will wait till the end of the season then analyze his squad situation again

zocoss SG

The thing is Hargreaves himself didn’t make enough noise… Had he made enough noise… i belief the Germans would have let him go… He is a rather timid player i must say…

Qing^.^ SG

Agreed. Carrick seemed to have fit in well enough.

givemeluck SG

u mean the noise he made still not enough?

zocoss SG

Yeah... compare to reyes... who went as far to say "He would never play for Arsenal again"

That probably convince the gunners to let him go cheaply despite paying $17m for him...

iceFatboy SG

in the end, nothing at all…

Bontakun SG

Kaka~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh wait. Its Hargreaves. At least this shows he still more or less respect the board in Bayern. If he is like Reyes who demanded what he wanted, imagine what would happen if Hargreaves demanded to his terms in Manu?

iceFatboy SG

most likely in the summer, not Jan..

at least, MUFC can see whether the injury has got impact on his play.

Dead_Man_Inc SG

Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer admits Owen Hargreaves could join United at the end of the season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been far from clandestine in his pursuit of the England midfielder, who he feels will give vital bite to United's engine room.

The club had endeavoured to enlist the energetic 25-yard-old last summer and in the current transfer window, but look certain to miss out for the time being.

"Money talks and I would say United have a good chance - but not until the end of the season," the Manchester Evening News quotes Beckenbauer as saying.

"We know Hargreaves wants to leave. He is under contract but at the end of the season maybe, yes."

Sir Alex and United chief executive David Gill have both recently expressed their frustration at being unable to prise Hargreaves away from the Bundesliga giants.

And with Tottenham allegedly in pole position to sign Southampton left-back Gareth Bale, it seems unlikely that the United squad will be bolstered during the transfer window.

iceFatboy SG

if summer, then we may have to cut down prices..

why MUFC doesn't go for the Argie guy, he was on their wish list..

iceFatboy SG

to be cynical, is OwenH worth it at 20m at this Jan windows? He can't play in UCL, and he needs at least one month to be fit, and with pace at EPL different from German league, needs time to settle..

And most impt, what's the impact on Carrick? He is improving each game, and we can see him contributing, building a rapport with Scholes, and he is also tracking back, making key tackles.

What about the few targets that were mentioned?
Ferendes guy that is now on loan at Everton, we wanted to get him, JavierM from West Ham..

these will cost lesser than 20M.

GH of Liverpool has made one impt point over his loss to Gunners' reserves at the Carling cup. Gunners have make great strides in their youth policy, Liverpool has made baby steps..

MUFC seems to be doing great in the 80s, but it has since not productive..

So one question, where did all the $$$ go? and what's future of MUFC? BUY & BUY??