UNITED are planning to bid for £15m Santa Cruz

• zocoss

  3 Jun 08, 10:05

  

   

  MANCHESTER UNITED are planning to hit Blackburn with a £15million bid for towering striker Roque Santa Cruz. Boss Alex Ferguson has earmarked the Paraguay international as United’s main summer signing.

   

  Fergie sees Santa Cruz, 26, as the big man who Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney can feed off. The United boss has given up on Louis Saha playing that role after a succession of injuries. The club is looking to sell.

   

  Fergie has also had to give up on an audacious bid to land Barcelona top scorer Thierry Henry, who was persuaded he still has a major role to play at the Nou Camp. Rovers will be desperate to keep their main striker. But with manager Mark Hughes on the way to Manchester City they will struggle to hold their prize asset.

   

  Ferguson once said of Santa Cruz: “I’m not sure how much he cost but he has proved great value.” The Paraguayan spent eight years at Bayern but failed to make much impact scoring 31 goals in 155 appearances there.

   

  His tally at Rovers in his first season in the Premiership has been quite stunning with 23 goals in 42 appearances. He is on a four-year Blackburn contract worth around £40,000 a week but United could double that.

   

  Santa Cruz is also close friends with former Bayern teammate and United midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

• jonchao72

  3 Jun 08, 10:45

  i want benz!

  but santa claus oso not bad... at least i think he's better than berbatov last season

• omgukilledkenny

  3 Jun 08, 20:37

  Wa..expensive man.

• snowfoxx

  3 Jun 08, 20:49

  i think hes better, plus more handsome than saha, lol, better in every aspect

• nOrmalbOi

  3 Jun 08, 21:37

  proven performer for this kinda price not bad... either him, benz, mario gomez , i would be pretty happy me thinks..

• omgukilledkenny

  3 Jun 08, 21:40

  I think Mario Gomez is quality lei.

  But so far the only EPL side he's been linked with is Arsenal.

• nOrmalbOi

  3 Jun 08, 21:42

  somemore v young nia.. still can improve/mold..

  only unknown is if he is suited to EPL, and whether he was just a 1 season wonder..

• jonchao72

  3 Jun 08, 22:03

  Originally posted by nOrmalbOi:

  somemore v young nia.. still can improve/mold..

  only unknown is if he is suited to EPL, and whether he was just a 1 season wonder..

  santa claus at 26 not veri young leh...

   

• omgukilledkenny

  3 Jun 08, 22:04

  Originally posted by jonchao72:

  santa claus at 26 not veri young leh...

   

  he means mario gomez haha.

• iceFatboy

  5 Jun 08, 02:21

  Originally posted by omgukilledkenny:

  Wa..expensive man.

  
  can we trade them Saha for a few mils off this guy??

  and then get some serious $$ into a RB..

• omgukilledkenny

  5 Jun 08, 23:56

  Santa Cruz reveals United interest

  Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz has revealed that Manchester United are interested in signing him before the start of the season.

  Santa Cruz told La Nacion: "The interest from Manchester United is real but I'm busy now so my representatives will handle anything if there is a concrete offer."

• iceFatboy

  7 Jun 08, 00:27

  well,

  http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1052918_battle_for_cruz_control?rss=yes

  it seems benezema is out of picture..

   

• limpper

  7 Jun 08, 00:35

  he is a good buy! =)

• iceFatboy

  7 Jun 08, 04:08

  just wondering why did BM let him go?

  cause they got TOni? anyone follow german soccer?

• omgukilledkenny

  7 Jun 08, 14:52

  Originally posted by iceFatboy:

  just wondering why did BM let him go?

  cause they got TOni? anyone follow german soccer?

  I think cause Santa wants first team football?

  At Bayern he's only a back up player, behind Toni, Podolski and Klose.

• iceFatboy

  8 Jun 08, 04:59

  Originally posted by omgukilledkenny:

  I think cause Santa wants first team football?

  At Bayern he's only a back up player, behind Toni, Podolski and Klose.

  aiyo, like that, should we still sign him?? what if he just one season wonder??

  cause to be frank, playing @ blackburn and MU is totally different.

   

   

• omgukilledkenny

  8 Jun 08, 16:22

  United To Offer Saha As Bait In Santa Cruz Deal

  

  Manchester United are reportedly set to offer out-of-favour striker Louis Saha as a deal-sweetener as they up their efforts to sign Blackburn hitman Roque Santa Cruz.

  News of the World is reporting that Sir Alex Ferguson, pulling the strings from his holiday home in southern France, is keen have the deal wrapped up in time for the start of pre-season training in July.
  
  Ferguson is keen to draft in a high-quality attacking alternative during the summer, as the Red Devils have lacked a genuine target-man since the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2006.
  
  And Sir Alex is eager to include Saha as a makeweight in the proposed ₤10million deal, as the injury-prone French forward has failed to make his mark at United since moving from Fulham in 2004.
  
  A move to Old Trafford would result in a huge wage rise for Santa Cruz, who took a significant pay-cut when joining Rovers from Bayern Munich last summer.
  
  The Red Devils will offer the Paraguayan around ₤75,000-per-week, nearly double what he earned at Ewood Park while scoring an impressive 23 goals last season.

• daniu82

  8 Jun 08, 16:24

  Can get rid of Saha and get him is killing 2 birds with 1 stone....

• zocoss

  9 Jun 08, 11:41

  Looks like Arsenal and Man City also want him now...

• I-like-flings(m)

  9 Jun 08, 11:51

  Xmas coming to man u early this yr?

• iceFatboy

  10 Jun 08, 05:39

  Originally posted by zocoss:

  Looks like Arsenal and Man City also want him now...

  that's is a bad sign.. meaning no new strikers want to come to EPL.

  and hence all clubs scrambling for him leh..