Juventus Bid to Trump Fiorentina for Dimitar Berbatov

Wednesday, 29th August, 2012

Juventus have dramatically jumped into pole position to buy Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United, following Fiorentina earlier agreeing a fee with the Red Devils for the Bulgarian striker.

Following Manchester United’s acceptance of Fiorentina’s offer of €5M for Berbatov, payable in three installments, La Viola were expecting the 31-year-old to arrive in Italy for a medical and to put the finishing touches to a move today.

But according to Calcio Mercato, Berbatov, who had flown to Munich to then catch an onward flight to Florence, did not make his connection and instead has remained in Germany while Juventus bid to agree a deal with Manchester United.

While Juventus have matched Fiorentina’s offer of €5M for the former Tottenham Hotspur man, the Bianconeri want to spread the payment over several installments, while Manchester United want the bill settled in two.

Until there is a breakthrough, Berbatov’s departure from Old Trafford is on hold, while if Juventus fail to come to an agreement with Manchester United soon, Fiorentina will expect to be able to complete a deal.

Juventus have been scouring the transfer market for a top class striker to lead the line in the club’s Champions League campaign all summer.

The Bianconeri have, at points over the summer, moved to try and sign Robin van Persie, Fernando Llorente, Edin Dzeko and Gonzalo Higuain, but failed to complete a deal for any, while they have also been linked with Didier Drogba in recent days.

Berbatov is desperate for first team football, a fact which is driving his departure from Manchester United, but is sure to be attracted to landing with the Italian champions first, before considering other options.

It remains to be seen how the transfer saga will end, but the clock is ticking on a window which closes on Friday evening.