With mere hours left in the summer transfer window,
which closes at midnight on September 1, the biggest news
concerning the future of Dimitar Berbatov was not about a
breakthrough in talks with Manchester United, but reports about an
unexpected bid for Tottenham's disgruntled Bulgarian striker coming
from Manchester City.
Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who faces the
prospects of his assets in Thailand being seized, has reportedly
agreed to sell his stake in City to Abu Dhabi United Group for
Development and Investment just a year after buying the club.
It is believed that the "first instruction to the Blues was to
try and lure Berbatov for a reputed £28 million [34.5 million
euro]," Manchester Evening News newspaper reported. "The Blues may
try and use Martin Petrov to persuade his international team-mate
to come to City," it went on to say.
United has pursued Berbatov since the start of the summer, but
their £20 million (24.7 million euro) valuation of the Bulgarian
fell some £10 million (12.3 millino euro) short of what Spurs want.
That bid has reportedly been raised to £25 million (30.8 million
euro) since then and recent media reports have suggested that
United's 20-year-old striker Fraizer Campbell could be made part of
the deal.
Despite the late bid, it appears unlikely that Berbatov will
settle for a move to another team playing in the Uefa Cup, having
described a transfer to United and playing in the Champions league
as "a dream".
"The audacious move is bound to rile United, even if Berbatov
goes to Old Trafford as expected," Manchester Evening News
said.