Man U bid £63m for Ribery

[Guy_Incognito]

Manchester United launch £63m bid for Bayern Munich's Franck Ribéry

• Sir Alex Ferguson to break transfer record for Ribéry

• Deal depends on Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid

 

 

Manchester United have made an offer of about €70m (£62.5m) for the Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribéry as they close in on a deal that would shatter the world transfer record.

 

Sources in Munich confirmed the bid has been received for the France international, who has made his desire to leave Germany known in the past few weeks. United scouts have repeatedly watched the 26-year-old in recent Bundesliga matches and sounded out his friends and entourage in Munich.

 

United's remarkable offer, which comfortably eclipses the record £44m paid by Real Madrid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001, is contingent on the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Madrid this summer but the approach to Bayern has been firm enough to suggest that the Portuguese's departure is a near certainty. Although Bayern are understood to have turned down United's offer, it is considered the first serious move in a negotiation that will eventually bring the winger to Old Trafford.

 

Ribéry, who earns €8m a year at the Allianz Arena, the equivalent of £134,000 a week, is set to replace Ronaldo as United's highest-paid player. Due to the unfavourable exchange rate and taxation levels in Britain, the Champions League holders, who take on Arsenal in the semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium tonight, will have to spend closer to £145,000 a week to match his net wages at Bayern. Money, however, is not the determining factor for Ribéry. The former Marseille player, who moved to Munich in 2007 for €25m plus add-ons and is contracted to Bayern until 2011, has repeatedly turned down offers to renegotiate a contract extension on improved terms.

 

Finishing only 16th in the running for the 2008 Ballon d'Or after a season in which he had inspired Bayern to a domestic double – "I am disappointed, I should have deserved better," he said – and his club's 5-1 aggregate defeat by Barcelona in the quarter-finals of this year's Champions League seem to have convinced him that a move to a bigger club has become necessary.

 

Bayern's general manager, Uli Hoeness, who has ruled out a sale of Ribéry throughout the season, softened his stance over the weekend. He confirmed Bayern were already eyeing up Werder Bremen's Brazilian midfielder Diego, 24, as a possible replacement "in case Ribéry were to go".

 

Manchester City, who have included the Frenchman on a short-list of transfer targets, have been hampered by their lack of Champions League football next season and are not seriously in the running.

 

Barcelona recently came close to an agreement with Ribéry but negotiations halted when news of their interest was leaked to the French press by sources close to the player last week. Although Barcelona have not officially pulled out, United are now best placed to entice Ribéry abroad. Relations between Bayern and United are cordial despite displeasure at Sir Alex Ferguson's aggressive pursuit of Owen Hargreaves in the summer of 2006. The English international moved to Old Trafford for £17m in July 2007.

 

It is understood that Bayern have rejected Ferguson's first offer but, with the Germans no longer insisting on a prohibitive €150m valuation – "We would perhaps let him go for that," Hoeness was quoted as saying in January – negotiations between the clubs are sufficiently advanced to suggest an agreement can be reached before the player goes on holiday in June.

 

In an interview with the French sports paper L'Equipe last week Ribéry indicated that he would leave Bayern if his team did not qualify for next season's Champions League: "In those circumstances it would indeed be very difficult to stay, that's obvious... That's why the club has to finish at least second." Bayern are currently second in the league, three points off the leaders VfL Wolfsburg. Only Germany's top two teams are guaranteed places in the Champions League.

 

Fecking hell

[carrafan]

Thought Barca had a deal agreed with Bayern for Ribery?

[Coyler]

Pinches of salt left, right, and centre, but that's brilliant. I really want them to spunk the guts of their Ronaldo money on one unproven-in-England signing with two breakable legs.

[Stanley Leisure]

Whoever they replace Ronaldo with will be a step down, surely?

 

Like him or not, he's a fantastic player - only someone like, I dunno, Torres or Gerrard could be an improvement?

[ManxRed]

Or Messi? But how much would he cost?

 

Mid you, if they signed Ribery he'd be their best looking player.

Edited May 5, 2009 by ManxRed

[Case]

Have they learnet nothing from the purchase of Veron? Let's hope not.

[Bootle Buck]

He'll certainly fit in with the rest of their players in ugliness. How would you like to face Rooney, Tevez and Ribery on the same team. "The Midfield of Horrors"

[aka Dus]

Pinches of salt left, right, and centre, but that's brilliant. I really want them to spunk the guts of their Ronaldo money on one unproven-in-England signing with two breakable legs.

 

My sentiments exactly.

[Paddy T.]

I would have never thought he is worth that amount of money.

I'll probably be proven wrong, but he doesn't look that good a player to me.

He had a good spell with Bayern the first half of his time there, but now all he needs is somebody to tread on his feet every now and then and he stays quiet for the rest of the match.

Edited May 5, 2009 by Paddy T.

[Benzo-13]

Hope he signs for them at that price.

I'd love it.

[Foo]

I would have never thought he is worth that amount of money.

I'll probably be proven wrong, but he doesn't look that good a player to me.

He had a good spell with Bayern the first half of his time there, but now all he needs is somebody to tread on his feet every now and then and he stays quiet for the rest of the match.

Look good and Ribery in the same sentence is not approved.

[Paddy T.]

Look good and Ribery in the same sentence is not approved.

 

 

I would have never thought he is worth that amount of money.

I'll probably be proven wrong, but he doesn't look that good a player to me.

He had a good spell with Bayern the first half of his time there, but now all he needs is somebody to tread on his feet every now and then and he stays quiet for the rest of the match.

 

[John am Rhein]

a bid?

 

I didn't even know he was up for auction.

[ali]

Vidic's asked for a transfer according El Mundo, wife not happy living in Manchester, wants Spain or Italy.

[Case]

Vidic's asked for a transfer according El Mundo, wife not happy living in Manchester, wants Spain or Italy.

 

Wives can be transferred now? For money like?

[goodrobotusses]

While it is an insane amount of money, Ribery could be excellent with them. Personally, I'm going to hold off on the sneering just for now.

[fyds]

Vidic's asked for a transfer according El Mundo, wife not happy living in Manchester, wants Spain or Italy.

Torres and Gerrard really got to him, didn't they?

[growler]

yes, it must be fact, it was in the paper.

 

By the way, the price of bacon is going up as pigs start to fly.

 

Also, the government have admitted they have made mistakes

 

And premier league clubs will be capping salaries.

 

Players union has stated the players earn enough and would like a cap so that value can be returned to the fans.

 

All true, at least in the same universe where the mancs pay 60mil for Ribery...

[Cheesecake]

of more concern is their plan to increase the capacity to 95k and the implication of this to us and others 'getting by' with 40k+ attendances

[Snoeker]

Vidic's asked for a transfer according El Mundo, wife not happy living in Manchester, wants Spain or Italy.

 

Come in, Agent Mrs Vidic...

[AmassiveSlot]

Id be happy if they spent £63 Mill on a player unproved in england rather than 3 or 4 world class players who we know can play in the prem!... Lets hops this goes through and he is a massive flop!