Ridsdale's Ferdinand admission
Peter Ridsdale admits he may have to sell Rio Ferdinand after revealing that he has already rejected a "derisory" offer for the wantaway star.
The 23-year-old England international defender submitted a transfer request today following weeks of speculation surrounding his future with United having already admitted that they are keen to bring him across the Pennines in a £30million-plus deal.
And despite Ridsdale's original insistence that he will not part company with the former West Ham star, the Leeds supremo has now conceded that, if Sir Alex Ferguson submits a "reasonable" offer, he may be forced to sell due to commitments to the club's shareholders.
Ridsdale also confirmed that he has already turned down an approach for the centre-back believed to be in the region of £20million and he is now due to return from a holiday in France to hold showdown talks with his prized asset tomorrow.
He said: "I can confirm that Rio Ferdinand has asked for a transfer and this request has been rejected. Rio has four years left on his current contract and we expect him to respect that contractual obligation."
Ferdinand, who joined Leeds from The Hammers in November 2000 for £18million, has spent time in his native London deciding over his future and said his decision to leave has been a difficult one to make.
He said: "For the past three days, I have been torn apart. I love Leeds and the people of Leeds."
How many more times is he gona lie to the Leeds Fans, i mean i personally dont like them but to firstly say 'rio isnt going no where' to basically say if a bid comes in at 30mill plus i will sell. WHATS UP WITH THAT?
Peter Ridsdale admits he may have to sell Rio Ferdinand after revealing that he has already rejected a "derisory" offer for the wantaway star.
The 23-year-old England international defender submitted a transfer request today following weeks of speculation surrounding his future with United having already admitted that they are keen to bring him across the Pennines in a £30million-plus deal.
And despite Ridsdale's original insistence that he will not part company with the former West Ham star, the Leeds supremo has now conceded that, if Sir Alex Ferguson submits a "reasonable" offer, he may be forced to sell due to commitments to the club's shareholders.
Ridsdale also confirmed that he has already turned down an approach for the centre-back believed to be in the region of £20million and he is now due to return from a holiday in France to hold showdown talks with his prized asset tomorrow.
He said: "I can confirm that Rio Ferdinand has asked for a transfer and this request has been rejected. Rio has four years left on his current contract and we expect him to respect that contractual obligation."
Ferdinand, who joined Leeds from The Hammers in November 2000 for £18million, has spent time in his native London deciding over his future and said his decision to leave has been a difficult one to make.
He said: "For the past three days, I have been torn apart. I love Leeds and the people of Leeds."
How many more times is he gona lie to the Leeds Fans, i mean i personally dont like them but to firstly say 'rio isnt going no where' to basically say if a bid comes in at 30mill plus i will sell. WHATS UP WITH THAT?