Arsenal line up record bid for Rio Ferdinand
Dominic Fifield
Saturday July 6, 2002
The Guardian
Arsenal have entered the race to sign the England centre-half Rio Ferdinand, long pursued by Manchester United, in an attempt to reunite him with his international defensive partner Sol Campbell.
Ferdinand's immediate future at Elland Road hangs in the balance while Leeds appoint a successor to David O'Leary. But with the chairman Peter Ridsdale under pressure from the plc board to reduce debts approaching £77m - and with the attempt to off-load Robbie Keane to Sunderland for £9m having already foundered - the Yorkshire club will have to listen to offers for their prize asset.
Pini Zahavi, the 23-year-old's representative, is due to meet Ridsdale on Monday, with a move away from Elland Road the anticipated outcome. But, while United had been expected to bid around £30m for his signature, the Double-winners have asked to be kept informed of Ferdinand's situation and over the last fortnight have made a number of inquiries through a third party.
Sources close to Ferdinand expect a formal bid from Arsène Wenger, likely to break the British record of £28.1m paid by United for Juan Sebastian Veron last summer, to be made early next week. Indeed, Leeds's parlous financial position may even prompt them to scrub out a clause in the player's contract preventing him from joining a Premiership club. "If I've got anything to do with it he'll see out his contract," said Ridsdale last week, "but I'm not stupid enough to say never is never."
Ferdinand, born in Peckham and a product of the West Ham youth system, has toed a diplomatic line during the recent turmoil at Leeds. "I've heard all the speculation but as far as I'm concerned it's up to the club," he said. "If they want to keep me I will be staying. If they decide to sell me that's different."
But the prospect of returning to London and playing alongside his international team-mates Ashley Cole and Campbell - their solid partnership had much to do with England's progress to the World Cup quarter-finals - would surely be enticing.
The centre-half's possible arrival is likely to prompt Tony Adams's widely expected retirement, though it would not necessarily mean the end at Highbury for the out-of-contract Martin Keown. "Nothing has been decided," said Keown's agent Barry Neville. "Arsenal want to keep him and it would be very difficult to leave a club of their size, particularly when they have just won the Double."
Coincidentally Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday challenged his Premiership rivals to spur the transfer market into action. "I have never known [it] so quiet," he said. "But it may activate as soon as somebody buys a player. One or two transfers could start a domino effect."
Wenger, however, has also been putting out feelers across Europe. PSV Eindhoven, pending the arrival of prospective new coach Guus Hiddink, confirmed yesterday that Arsenal had made inquiries about the Dutch internationals Marc van Bommel and Kevin Hofland - another long-term United target.
Arsenal have offered cash plus the Nigeria forward Nwankwo Kanu for Van Bommel, though the Dutch club's chairman Harry van Raaij was not enthusiastic. "PSV do not exist to solve Arsenal's problems," he said. "Anyway, what do we want with Kanu when we already have four strikers?"
Those sentiments were echoed by the PSV spokesperson Pedro Salazar Hewitt. "Arsenal asked about Van Bommel and the possibility of involving Kanu in the deal, as well as about Hofland's situation a few months ago, though we did not get to the negotiating stage," he said. "As it is, we believe that [both players] are staying."
Dominic Fifield
Saturday July 6, 2002
The Guardian
Arsenal have entered the race to sign the England centre-half Rio Ferdinand, long pursued by Manchester United, in an attempt to reunite him with his international defensive partner Sol Campbell.
Ferdinand's immediate future at Elland Road hangs in the balance while Leeds appoint a successor to David O'Leary. But with the chairman Peter Ridsdale under pressure from the plc board to reduce debts approaching £77m - and with the attempt to off-load Robbie Keane to Sunderland for £9m having already foundered - the Yorkshire club will have to listen to offers for their prize asset.
Pini Zahavi, the 23-year-old's representative, is due to meet Ridsdale on Monday, with a move away from Elland Road the anticipated outcome. But, while United had been expected to bid around £30m for his signature, the Double-winners have asked to be kept informed of Ferdinand's situation and over the last fortnight have made a number of inquiries through a third party.
Sources close to Ferdinand expect a formal bid from Arsène Wenger, likely to break the British record of £28.1m paid by United for Juan Sebastian Veron last summer, to be made early next week. Indeed, Leeds's parlous financial position may even prompt them to scrub out a clause in the player's contract preventing him from joining a Premiership club. "If I've got anything to do with it he'll see out his contract," said Ridsdale last week, "but I'm not stupid enough to say never is never."
Ferdinand, born in Peckham and a product of the West Ham youth system, has toed a diplomatic line during the recent turmoil at Leeds. "I've heard all the speculation but as far as I'm concerned it's up to the club," he said. "If they want to keep me I will be staying. If they decide to sell me that's different."
But the prospect of returning to London and playing alongside his international team-mates Ashley Cole and Campbell - their solid partnership had much to do with England's progress to the World Cup quarter-finals - would surely be enticing.
The centre-half's possible arrival is likely to prompt Tony Adams's widely expected retirement, though it would not necessarily mean the end at Highbury for the out-of-contract Martin Keown. "Nothing has been decided," said Keown's agent Barry Neville. "Arsenal want to keep him and it would be very difficult to leave a club of their size, particularly when they have just won the Double."
Coincidentally Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday challenged his Premiership rivals to spur the transfer market into action. "I have never known [it] so quiet," he said. "But it may activate as soon as somebody buys a player. One or two transfers could start a domino effect."
Wenger, however, has also been putting out feelers across Europe. PSV Eindhoven, pending the arrival of prospective new coach Guus Hiddink, confirmed yesterday that Arsenal had made inquiries about the Dutch internationals Marc van Bommel and Kevin Hofland - another long-term United target.
Arsenal have offered cash plus the Nigeria forward Nwankwo Kanu for Van Bommel, though the Dutch club's chairman Harry van Raaij was not enthusiastic. "PSV do not exist to solve Arsenal's problems," he said. "Anyway, what do we want with Kanu when we already have four strikers?"
Those sentiments were echoed by the PSV spokesperson Pedro Salazar Hewitt. "Arsenal asked about Van Bommel and the possibility of involving Kanu in the deal, as well as about Hofland's situation a few months ago, though we did not get to the negotiating stage," he said. "As it is, we believe that [both players] are staying."
