United set to win race for Duff's signature
Michael Walker
SOCCER/Transfer news: Damien Duff is set to disappoint Liverpool by moving to Manchester United this summer. The 24-year-old Blackburn Rovers winger is wanted by both clubs, but United manager Alex Ferguson appears to have won the battle and Duff is expected to leave Ewood Park for a fee as high as £10 million at the end of the season.
The United chairman Peter Kenyon said yesterday that Ferguson would have to sell players before he can recruit, but the Old Trafford club are still in a strong position financially. Although the club's profits, announced yesterday, were not as high as anticipated, they were nonetheless £31 million for six months.
In football's current climate £10 million is a high figure, but for blue-chip players such as Duff, the market remains competitive.
The arrival of the gifted, left-footed Irishman is sure to have implications for Ryan Giggs, who has been linked consistently with a move to Inter Milan and who is bound to feel some pressure from Duff's arrival.
Duff has been at Blackburn since 1996 and has been an influential attacking force for the Lancashire club. His form suffered a couple of years ago, but at last year's World Cup Duff flowered into one of the tournament's most promising players. United wanted him then but Duff stayed at Ewood for another season.
Now Duff is set to depart, and while Blackburn will be annoyed that he is leaving, the income will enable the Rovers manager Graeme Souness to purchase two or three players around the £2 million mark.
For Liverpool, Duff's decision to choose United means their search for a natural winger to give them the width deemed necessary for their development goes on. Duff was one of Gerard Houllier's key targets and some at the club may have assumed that he would eventually arrive. That could explain why Liverpool declined the offer of Harry Kewell in January's transfer window. Kewell was offered to Liverpool the same week Jonathan Woodgate joined Newcastle United.
Leeds are believed to have wanted £6 million for the Australian, but either because Liverpool did not have the funds at the time, or because they preferred Duff, the offer was rejected. But Leeds are still in the position of having to sell and the move could now be resurrected in the summer, when the Anfield club should have more money available.
Guardian Service
Michael Walker
SOCCER/Transfer news: Damien Duff is set to disappoint Liverpool by moving to Manchester United this summer. The 24-year-old Blackburn Rovers winger is wanted by both clubs, but United manager Alex Ferguson appears to have won the battle and Duff is expected to leave Ewood Park for a fee as high as £10 million at the end of the season.
The United chairman Peter Kenyon said yesterday that Ferguson would have to sell players before he can recruit, but the Old Trafford club are still in a strong position financially. Although the club's profits, announced yesterday, were not as high as anticipated, they were nonetheless £31 million for six months.
In football's current climate £10 million is a high figure, but for blue-chip players such as Duff, the market remains competitive.
The arrival of the gifted, left-footed Irishman is sure to have implications for Ryan Giggs, who has been linked consistently with a move to Inter Milan and who is bound to feel some pressure from Duff's arrival.
Duff has been at Blackburn since 1996 and has been an influential attacking force for the Lancashire club. His form suffered a couple of years ago, but at last year's World Cup Duff flowered into one of the tournament's most promising players. United wanted him then but Duff stayed at Ewood for another season.
Now Duff is set to depart, and while Blackburn will be annoyed that he is leaving, the income will enable the Rovers manager Graeme Souness to purchase two or three players around the £2 million mark.
For Liverpool, Duff's decision to choose United means their search for a natural winger to give them the width deemed necessary for their development goes on. Duff was one of Gerard Houllier's key targets and some at the club may have assumed that he would eventually arrive. That could explain why Liverpool declined the offer of Harry Kewell in January's transfer window. Kewell was offered to Liverpool the same week Jonathan Woodgate joined Newcastle United.
Leeds are believed to have wanted £6 million for the Australian, but either because Liverpool did not have the funds at the time, or because they preferred Duff, the offer was rejected. But Leeds are still in the position of having to sell and the move could now be resurrected in the summer, when the Anfield club should have more money available.
Guardian Service
