Lazio agree to pay United for Stam

Alex Ferguson’s winter spending plans will not be affected by confirmation that Manchester United will have to wait until April 2005 for the final instalment of the €25m fee for Dutch defender Jaap Stam.

United confirmed to the Stock Exchange yesterday that an agreement had been reached with cash-strapped Serie A title-chasers Lazio for the outstanding €19m which was due to be paid this summer.

Last month, Old Trafford chief executive Peter Kenyon launched a bitter tirade against the Rome-based outfit, who claimed they were unable to pay the remainder of the fee, even though they had received €43m from United for Juan Veron barely a month before the Stam deal was pushed through.

Lazio have agreed to give up some of the €37.5m owed to them by AC Milan and Inter Milan for the transfers of Italian defender Alessandro Nesta and the Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo which went through in August.