United edge towards Berbatov deal

Manchester United appear to be winning the battle to sign Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham.

On a crazy day in the north-west, the Bulgarian finally met Alex Ferguson at United’s Carrington training complex before heading to Old Trafford for what many people see as the final act in one of the summer’s most lengthy transfer sagas.

And news that Berbatov was having a medical with United in Manchester only further fuelled the belief that United were about to get their man.

It has been repeated throughout the day that a fee has still to be agreed between United and Tottenham, and publicly at least Spurs have not even given Berbatov permission to speak with the Old Trafford outfit.

However, it is hard to see how such manoeuvrings can be done without the selling club’s consent although nothing can be ruled out – especially with Manchester City so keen to hijack the deal.

It would now appear unlikely Ferguson would fail in a quest that has taken him months to reach this stage.

With Tottenham making no formal statement on discussions with United, it is still assumed there is a £5million difference between what the north London club want and the sum being offered by the Old Trafford outfit.

Various ways of bridging the gap have been mentioned, including making young striker Fraizer Campbell part of the deal.

However, none of this has been confirmed.

What is certain is that City, whose new owners – the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment – are eager to flex their financial muscle and have no such problems.

Spurs have already accepted their £30m offer and it is not beyond the realms of possibility they could hijack the deal.

“I am as stunned and excited by this as the fans are,” City boss Mark Hughes told Sky Sports, barely able to take in events of such a tumultuous day himself as he took part in a charity golf day.

High-ranking City officials were not expecting the takeover, let alone bids for Berbatov and David Villa when the day began, so further surprises are possible.

However, having let Louis Saha join Everton, it seems inconceivable Ferguson would miss out on Berbatov now, especially with talks at such a seemingly advanced and involved stage.