United raise their bid for Ronaldinho to £15m
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United will make a £15m offer for Ronaldinho today as they sense that Paris St-Germain are growing desperate for a quick sale.
United's chief executive Peter Kenyon is about to table the bid, a big increase on the opening £11m offer but short of the £18m quoted in France yesterday. The latest figure, which will also have top-ups based on appearances to make it more attractive, could be the last from United as they start to consider other possibilities.
PSG are in a financial corner and need a deal now. Real Madrid would like to sign a pre-agreement and pay some money before taking Ronaldinho a year from now, but that does not appeal to the player or the club. United could get their man and still have change from the sale of David Beckham but are unlikely to go any higher and may put in a deadline for the offer to be accepted.
Chelsea had been reported to be interested in hijacking any move to Manchester, but PSG's president Francis Graille, believes the Brazilian would reject a move to Stamford Bridge.
"Chelsea have plenty of money, but I don't see the sporting interest in Ronaldinho going to them," Graille said. He added: "I've been in contact with several clubs every day. Officials from Manchester United came over on Tuesday. Manchester United will have to put a substantial offer in for us to let Ronaldinho go."
Ronaldinho's brother Roberto Assis, who acts as his agent, predicts the long-running saga over the Brazilian's transfer will reach a conclusion tomorrow.
Danny Webber has rejected a new contract with Manchester United to sign a three-year deal with Watford. The 21-year-old completed his transfer from United to First Division Watford yesterday and claimed he had to move as he was not making progress at Old Trafford.
"I was offered a three-year contract by United which I turned down because of my quest for first-team football. I thought the best place to try to get that was Watford," he said.
"When I was 16, I made the decision that if I was still around at 21 and not in the first team I'd have to be professional and go and play first-team football somewhere else. I was a bit disappointed that I hadn't broken through but there's no point thinking about what could have been."
Watford also completed the season-long loan signing of the 21-year-old United winger Jimmy Davis, an England Under-20 international. Davis recently signed a three-year contract with the Premiership champions.
Meanwhile, United's Swedish winger Bojan Djordjic is set to sign for Millwall on a season-long loan. The highly rated Djordjic has just returned from a year at the Danish side Aarhus but will be allowed out again for more experience.
The talented left winger should sign for Millwall after he approached his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, looking for a favour.
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