Friday, 23rd December 2005
United: Vidic plea
Stuart Brennan
VIDIC: 'Come and get me'
MANCHESTER United target Nemanja Vidic has sent out a message to Sir Alex Ferguson: "I am the answer to your problems."
The towering Spartak Moscow defender is said to have been the subject of intense interest from the Reds, with Spartak president Sergey Shavlo asking £11m for the Serbia and Montenegro international.
Shavlo claims he visited England earlier this week for the first personal contact with United officials over the transfer, which the Reds want clinched in next month's window.
Liverpool and Serie A side Fiorentina are also in the hunt for the player, part of his country's "fabulous four" defence which conceded just one goal during their qualification campaign for next summer's World Cup finals in Germany.
But Vidic gave a hint of his own preferences when he told a newspaper in his native Serbia: "Since I was told that United were interested in signing me I have watched several tapes of their games. They do have problems in defence, to say the least. And the most problematic area is their centre-back zone, from where their opponents score much too often."
United have plenty of cover in the centre-back positions, with Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Mikael Silvestre and John O'Shea, and also with players like Gary Neville and Gabriel Heinze able to play that role.
But Ferguson wants a figure like John Terry at Chelsea, a big, powerful, no-nonsense type who also scores goals, something that Vidic has done for both Spartak and his previous club Red Star Belgrade.
The fee could be a sticking point. With funds limited by the Glazer takeover and the pressing need for a midfield replacement for Roy Keane, United's valuation is less than half of the asking price.
Shavlo said: "There is no done deal yet but we will continue to work with Manchester United. At the moment, they are still the favourite to sign Nemanja."
[uredio AlphaQ]