Originally Posted by TheGuardian

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


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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.

Originally Posted by SkySports

United reject Ribery talk

Manchester United have distanced themselves from a reported world record bid for Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery.


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The Guardian reported on Tuesday morning that United were putting together a £62.5million package in a bid to tempt Bayern into a sale.

Ribery is expected to quit the Allianz Arena following what has been a disappointing season for the Bavarian giants, with Jurgen Klinsmann dismissed as a result of their failures both domestically and in Europe.

It was initially thought Ribery's most likely destination would be Spain or Italy but United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is a known admirer of the talented Frenchman.

It would appear though that claims of a pending bid, on the proviso Cristiano Ronaldo quits Old Trafford in the summer, are someway wide of the mark.

The club have deemed the rumours not worthy of comment and with Ronaldo reportedly having said his 'Real Madrid dream was dead' last weekend, a move for Ribery looks increasing unlikely.

United have also been linked with a summer bid for Genoa striker Diego Milito, who scored a hat-trick in the derby win over Sampdoria at the weekend.

Originally Posted by Dmac
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Well mainly you just shouldn't beleive paper talk because 95% of it is garbage.