Manchester United Make £27M Eto’o Move - Report
zoom - galleria According to a report in the Daily Mail, Sir Alex Ferguson has a forward with pace and clinical finishng as his top transfer target.
The two criteria have automatically helped him zero in on the Barcelona striker, who is supposed to be the first of his three major signings this summer.
The Red Devils have reportedly initiated contact over the £27million move for the Cameroon international, whose future at the Camp Nou remains under a cloud after a fall-out with Rijkaard and Ronaldinho.
AC Milan, Liverpool and Chelsea are also rumoured to be interested in the three-times African Player of the Year, while his admiration for Arsene Wenger and friendship with Thierry Henry would suggest that Arsenal may be in the frame too should Eto’o leave Barca.
Those famous "sources close to the player," however, are hinting that he fancies a move to Old Trafford. It is understood that Israeli agent Pini Zahavi, who is a great friend of Eto’o, and has contacts at Barcelona (his son Alex also plays with the Barca junior teams), is being used to ease the move without ruffling too many feathers.
"Speed is important to us," Ferguson had said last week, speaking about his plans for the future. "At the moment that’s what we’re looking at. Whether we can get more speed."
Eto’o has been unsettled since that public spat with Ronaldinho and Rijkaard, when he was accused of refusing to play and then retaliated by suggesting that others should question their commitment before pointing fingers towards him.
However, he has since returned to sensational form since, scoring 10 goals in 14 games over the last 10 weeks. Some believe that Barcelona will simply ask for Cristiano Ronaldo should United make an approach, thus stalling any progress.
Michael Owen, who has only just returned from an injury himself, is the second option.
Given that Ferguson is widely expected to bring in Bayern Munich’s Owen Hargreaves for £20 million, the capture of Eto’o as well would leave little change in United’s summer kitty, unless the Glazers prove to be Fergie’s flexible friends.
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