Berbatov's 19-goal haul pays off with new deal at Old Trafford
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Manchester United are ready to extend Dimitar Berbatov's contract for another two years, according to sources in his native Bulgaria. The 30-year-old's deal expires in the summer of 2012 and though it had been thought United were happy to wait until the summer before extending it, it appears an extension may be agreed within two weeks which would deliver a substantial increase on the striker's £100,000 a week deal. Though Sir Alex Ferguson has declared that Berbatov should deliver away from home as well as at Old Trafford, he has also suggested that he is capable of 30 goals this season.
The move marks a sea change for Berbatov, who before this season admitted he faced a fight simply to see out his current deal. "I will fight to stay until the end of my contract," he declared in pre-season, when he said he expected to face competition from a new striker.
But Javier Hernandez has posed more of a threat to Wayne Rooney, leaving Ferguson to drop the first hint a month ago that a new deal was in the pipeline for United's 19-goal leading scorer. "He's under contract at the moment. Is he going to stay? Yes, it's not an issue," Ferguson said recently.
The Bulgarian Trud newspaper suggested that Berbatov's agent Emil Danchev met United chief executive David Gill on Friday to discuss the striker's new deal.
Midfielder Park Ji-sung – who may be out for four weeks after a bad hamstring injury in training on Friday – and defender John O'Shea both turn 30 in the next few months, but United are thought to be happy to wait until the end of the season to address their futures.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments