United close in on Serbian youngsters
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Arsenal, Manchester City To Beat Manchester United In Race For Tosic - Report
The Serbian international could be headed for either Eastlands or the Emirates Stadium after rejecting a move to Old Trafford...
Zoran Tosic's move to Manchester United is in doubt after he rejected the contract offered to him, according to a report in the British tabloid the Daily Mirror.
Apparently, the Serbian international winger had been at Old Trafford to negotiate a deal with the European Champions, but was hoping for higher wages than the Red Devils were willing to offer.
Now it is thought that United's local rivals Manchester City and Premier League adversaries Arsenal are keen to enter the race for the 21-year-old.
Nicknamed 'Bambi' because of his lean build, the attacking midfielder has hugely impressed since signing for Partizan in 2007 following spells with Banat Zrenjanin and Proleter Zrenjanin and has won 12 full international caps to date.
Ricky Brooks, Goal.com -
i hope we don't regret if he turns out to be good
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Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United close in on Serbian youngsters
Manchester United made a longawaited breakthrough last night in their bid to sign Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic, the two Serbian youngsters, in a combined £16.3 million deal from Partizan Belgrade.
The move was thrown into doubt last month because of Tosic’s wage demands and the number of agents trying to get involved in the transfer, prompting reports that Arsenal or Manchester City could hijack the deal. But it emerged last night that, after another day of negotiations, those potential snags have been overcome and that, barring a last-minute hitch, the joint move will be announced in the coming days.
Tosic, a 21-year-old winger, is expected to move to Old Trafford immediately, having been granted a work permit, although the timing of Ljajic’s arrival is less clear, given that the midfield player, 17, may benefit from spending the remainder of the season with Partizan.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, who made a personal plea on Tosic’s behalf at his work-permit hearing in Sheffield, regards the pair as players of outstanding potential, with Tosic, a full international, regarded as a potential long-term successor to Ryan Giggs. Under the terms of the deal, United have agreed to pay Partizan a maximum of £16.3 million if the players meet certain pre-identified targets, but the up-front payments will be considerably smaller.
Tosic and Ljajic are likely to be United’s only acquisitions during the transfer window, with the future of Carlos Tévez unlikely to be resolved until the summer. The Argentina striker’s two-year loan agreement at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season, but, while United had hoped to secure the permanent signing of the forward before Christmas, the situation appears likely to drag on.
Although Tévez has expressed concerns to Ferguson at being used primarily as back-up for Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, he is thought to view his long-term future as being at Old Trafford, despite interest in the player from Arsenal, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. David Gill, the United chief executive, has held a series of discussions with Kia Joorabchian, the businessman who owns the player’s economic rights, but a deal has yet to be concluded.
United are understood to have paid between £6 million and £10 million to secure Tévez on loan, with those costs expected to be included in a final fee that has been forecast to exceed £30 million. With Tévez not guaranteed a starting position in Ferguson’s first-choice XI this season, United would prefer to be able to negotiate the price, although there is the possibility that their hand could be forced by rival interest.
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wooo..hope tevez stays