Man Utd will battle with Real Madrid for signing of Italian hard man
Published:Daniele De Rossi has been offered to Manchester United after the player told AS Roma that he has become disillusioned with life at the Italian club.
The Glazers have given Sir Alex Ferguson a £100m transfer kitty to use this summer and Ferguson has long been an admirer of the 27-year-old who would bolster a Manchester United midfield that has been reliant on the ageing Paul Scholes this season.
Ferguson’s admiration means his age would not be a problem despite United’s transfer policy of signing young players with high resale values, and the Roma midfielder’s wages of £60,000 make him an enticing signing for Ferguson.
But Ferguson faces competition from Real Madrid who have also been long term admirers of the Italian midfielder, and Jose Mourinho feels De Rossi would complement Xabi Alonso at the heart of the Madrid midfield.
Reports in the Spanish paper Marca suggest De Rossi is Madrid’s number one target this summer ahead of Cesc Fabregas and Bastien Schweinsteiger, and the club would be willing to pay up to €25m.
It wouldn’t be the first time Real Madrid and Manchester United have done battle and Fergie would love to get one over his old adversaries, but with a potential Champions League final meeting in store, the two clubs could be battling sooner rather than later.
Real Madrid, at 4/1 to win the Champions League, are more fancied to win the Champions League than Manchester United who are available at 6/1, but a Manchester United vs Real Madrid final is available at 7/1 and what a night that would be.
Come May 28th Cristiano Ronaldo could be standing in the way of his old club and a treble, a feat Manchester United are 16/1 to achieve.
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