United look to break Bayern resolve with new £18m bid for
Hargreaves
Sir Alex Ferguson will go into a weekend of potentially huge
significance for the title race, not only hoping to extend
Manchester United's six-point advantage over Chelsea but to put an
end to the long-running transfer saga involving Owen Hargreaves.
Ferguson said last night that United had "hit a brick wall" but the
club are hoping to break Bayern Munich's resolve after putting an
offer in the region of £18m into writing.
David Gill, the United chief executive, faxed the bid through to
Bayern after receiving indications that they would finally be
willing to allow the midfielder to move. However, it remains a
complicated process and there is still a considerable element of
doubt about whether the move will be ratified within the transfer
window.
Gill's information is that the Bayern hierarchy cannot agree
between themselves and, as a result, he has received mixed signals.
One certainty is that Hargreaves does not need any more persuasion,
the England international having sought to orchestrate his
departure from Bayern with a concerted campaign through the media
to make it clear he wants to play in the Premiership.
His stance has angered the Bayern officials, in particular the
president Franz Beckenbauer and the general manager Uli Hoeness.
However, it did not stop Hargreaves making his feelings clear yet
again last night.
Ferguson, who described the situation as "difficult", hopes to have
an answer over the weekend or early next week, and end a saga that
has now dragged on since last summer's World Cup. Hargreaves is
close to full fitness after breaking his leg and Ferguson has
instructed Gill to do everything he can to bring him in before the
end of January.
"The most important thing is for us to look at ourselves rather
than at what Chelsea do," said Ferguson, whose side make their
first ever trip to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium tomorrow. "We've got
to try and keep our consistency from now until the end of the
season. It is going to be consistency that decides it, no
question.
"Our form is good but there have been examples of us being
charitable, at West Ham and Newcastle, and these are danger signs
for us. We have to make sure nothing like that happens on a regular
basis over these last 15 matches. Both teams will drop points, no
question about that, and the name of the game is
consistency."
