Arsenal star Patrick Vieira is being targeted by Manchester United in a stg£20 million transfer bid, British newspapers reported today.
The French midfielder is a key target for Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson, who is known to be an admirer of the 24-year-old Gunners player.
Several newspapers reported today that Manchester United's board were planning to make funds available for an audacious raid on the Gunners prize asset in a show of support for manager Ferguson.
Ferguson has been at loggerheads with United since announcing last week he would sever all ties with the club when he retires at the end of next season.
The acrimonious nature of that dispute has prompted fears within Old Trafford that Ferguson may seek to leave the club over the summer. An inquiry from Spanish giants Barcelona is already reported to have been rejected.
The Daily Mailreported nearly stg£30 million has been wiped off the value of the world's richest club since the dispute with Ferguson erupted at the end of last week.
Now directors at Manchester United want to halt the slide in confidence with a major signing - with Vieira the prime target.
The Daily Telegraphreported the move comes after Ferguson met United chief executive Peter Kenyon and the chairman of Manchester United plc Roland Smith on Friday, where the paper said "an uneasy peace" was reached between the three men.
Several papers seized on Vieira's words from an interview between the player and French sports daily L'Equipelast week, hinting the Senegal-born player would be unhappy if Arsenal sold any players this year.
"I am in talks with Arsenal to make a decision about staying or not," he told L'Equipe.
"When you want to be a big team you cannot afford to lose your best players. You cannot release the likes of Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars.
"The FA Cup final was the symbol of our season. If we had scored a second goal we would have won, but we didn't. All year we kept losing big matches. I'm not living in the past, but I can say the 1998 team was extraordinary because it had players with character who made a difference."
AFP