Man Utd close to Hargreaves deal

Manchester United are closing in on Bayern Munich's England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, BBC Sport understands.



Sources in Germany confirmed reports in a German magazine that claim a deal is "close to being done".

United will pay £18m for Hargreaves, 26, and set a record fee for a player from the Bundesliga.

Hargreaves, a long-standing target of United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, will sign a four-year deal with the newly-crowned Premiership champions.

Bayern have promised to spend big following their failure to qualify for next season's Champions League, with chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge ready to carry out "brutal and ruthless" changes to the team.

The German giants have struggled to keep pace with the spending power of Europe's elite, and Rummenigge and advisory board chairman Franz Beckenbauer hinted the sale of players like Hargreaves would fund their rebuilding process.

Beckenbauer said: "We'll have to invest a lot of money if we want to be at the top next year and succeed at home and abroad.

Rummenigge added: "All I can say is that there will be changes in every area of the team, some players will come and some players will go."

According to reports, Bayern will use the proceeds of Hargreaves' sale to fund a bid for Chelsea winger Arjen Robben.

Hargreaves missed Bayern's 5-2 win over Mainz because of a knee injury which means he could have already played his last game for the club after 10 years.

He has played a total of 145 league games and won the Champions League with the Bavarian side in 2001.

Beckenbauer, speaking recently on German television, said: "If it is right there is an offer of 25-30m euros (£17-20m), then I would seriously consider it.

"I think the board also think this way to satisfy the needs of the player."

Hargreaves has been a long-standing United target and the player has expressed a desire to play in England.
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Question:

What difference do you think Hargreaves would have made to the Man Utd team yesterday, if he had played instead of Fletcher?

£18m is a lot of money but he is a great player. Does this mean Rooney will play up on his own next season with Scholes behind him ? or will Hargreaves and Carrick be rotated ?

I think it'll be rotated between Scholes, Carrick and Hargreaves, Goater. 2 out of 3, with maybe all 3 playing in certain games - Europe etc.

Parks lives wrote:I think it'll be rotated between Scholes, Carrick and Hargreaves, Goater. 2 out of 3, with maybe all 3 playing in certain games - Europe etc.

Yeah thats sounds like the best thing to do. Do you think this will mean the end of Fletcher ?

Fletch will be the 4th choice midfielder , Liverpool will have Momo as 4th choice and Lucas as 5th (if they keep their current players) so that is ok.
Hope this is the start of the summer not the end , price is too high for my liking.

The deal was announced by a Bayern board member on TV this morning. You got him.

I know Effe.

Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has confirmed that Owen Hargreaves will leave the club for Manchester United this summer.

The England international has long been a target for Red Devils chief Sir Alex Ferguson, with Bayern fending off interest from Old Trafford last summer.

Hargreaves has made no secret of his desire to move to Old Trafford and in the face of renewed interest from United and the midfielder's desire to move on, Bayern's stance has softened in recent weeks.

Bayern are planning an overhaul of their playing staff after falling well short in the Bundesliga and a reported £17million deal will hand the club a substantial transfer kitty.

German magazine Spiegel reported on its website a deal had been agreed and Beckenbauer has confirmed the 26-year-old will head to England this summer.

"Owen is leaving," Beckenbauer told Germany's DSF sports television network. "That was the player's wish.

"It's a good match and it's also a good deal financially."

Effenberg wrote:The deal was announced by a Bayern board member on TV this morning. You got him.

Pure speculation from unidentifiable sources: ManU only paid £12-14M but the £17M has leaked for Bayern to save face.

(herd it on the Radio but can't remember who said it and what position they have to get this information)

shazlx wrote:Pure speculation from unidentifiable sources: ManU only paid £12-14M but the £17M has leaked for Bayern to save face.

(herd it on the Radio but can't remember who said it and what position they have to get this information)

I hope so, but united always pay over the odds for players and English players cost roughly 30-40% more than they are worth, so £17m wouldnt surprise me.

Hope so shazlx

18m for me is too much.

Actually I heard 17m pounds plus extra payments if/when ManU win titles. By English standards the price is perfectly ok. Hargreaves is so much better than people (in he UK) realize.

17m pounds for a reserve player, not a bad deal for Bayern

Effenberg wrote:Actually I heard 17m pounds plus extra payments if/when ManU win titles. By English standards the price is perfectly ok. Hargreaves is so much better than people (in he UK) realize.

By top 4 standards you mean, no non-top 4 club could ever spend £17m on a player like Hargreaves, i think most English clubs would be looking to spend a maximum of £8m on a player of his type.

Reserve player ?
Definately dont watch Bayern.

...this is like 2006 all over again

Kimbo wrote:

Effenberg wrote:Actually I heard 17m pounds plus extra payments if/when ManU win titles. By English standards the price is perfectly ok. Hargreaves is so much better than people (in he UK) realize.

By top 4 standards you mean, no non-top 4 club could ever spend £17m on a player like Hargreaves, i think most English clubs would be looking to spend a maximum of £8m on a player of his type.

carrick and hargreaves for a combined total of around 35 million is a totally frightening reflection on today's transfer market

Still the papers today are reporting jenas to be worth 15 million and lescott 10 million.

incredible

COTR wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Effenberg wrote:Actually I heard 17m pounds plus extra payments if/when ManU win titles. By English standards the price is perfectly ok. Hargreaves is so much better than people (in he UK) realize.

By top 4 standards you mean, no non-top 4 club could ever spend £17m on a player like Hargreaves, i think most English clubs would be looking to spend a maximum of £8m on a player of his type.

carrick and hargreaves for a combined total of around 35 million is a totally frightening reflection on today's transfer market

Still the papers today are reporting jenas to be worth 15 million and lescott 10 million.

incredible

Micah Richards rated at £18m, Bale at £10m, Bent at £20m the price of young English/Welsh players is ridiculous.

£35m seems alot for Carrick and Hargreaves, but when the selling club knows that a rich club are interested the price goes through the roof, see SWP as an example. Its the way the markets works and selling clubs do very well out of this market. You cant afford to buy unproven players when your at the top and you want to stay at the top as, Wenger is finding out.

Its good news for the England national team, that teams like United are buying English players.

Rez wrote:Its good news for the England national team, that teams like United are buying English players.

I don't understand the logic of that that, Rez?

Roger Hunt wrote:

Rez wrote:Its good news for the England national team, that teams like United are buying English players.

I don't understand the logic of that that, Rez?

Ditto

I agree to an extent, but I also feel that the English national team would benefit from some of our players playing in the other top European leagues so it is a bit of a shame that Hargreaves is leaving Germany. I guess this will make the next England squad entirely domestic-based. After a few players moved to Spain a couple of seasons ago, they all seem to be returning to the Premiership now.

Luis wrote:

Roger Hunt wrote:

Rez wrote:Its good news for the England national team, that teams like United are buying English players.

I don't understand the logic of that that, Rez?

Ditto

Ditto Ditto

COTR wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Effenberg wrote:Actually I heard 17m pounds plus extra payments if/when ManU win titles. By English standards the price is perfectly ok. Hargreaves is so much better than people (in he UK) realize.

By top 4 standards you mean, no non-top 4 club could ever spend £17m on a player like Hargreaves, i think most English clubs would be looking to spend a maximum of £8m on a player of his type.

carrick and hargreaves for a combined total of around 35 million is a totally frightening reflection on today's transfer market

Still the papers today are reporting jenas to be worth 15 million and lescott 10 million.

incredible

it is not worth buying him with18m.too dear!
BTW, for which did Carrick play before coming to Red Devil?

Roger Hunt wrote:

Rez wrote:Its good news for the England national team, that teams like United are buying English players.

I don't understand the logic of that that, Rez?

I think he means arsenal are not helping the english team

but buying english players has hardly had a direct impact on the english team in the past few years has it?

Hargreaves won't play any better than he did at the world cup now that he has boosted his bank account

Cking wrote:

COTR wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Effenberg wrote:Actually I heard 17m pounds plus extra payments if/when ManU win titles. By English standards the price is perfectly ok. Hargreaves is so much better than people (in he UK) realize.

By top 4 standards you mean, no non-top 4 club could ever spend £17m on a player like Hargreaves, i think most English clubs would be looking to spend a maximum of £8m on a player of his type.

carrick and hargreaves for a combined total of around 35 million is a totally frightening reflection on today's transfer market

Still the papers today are reporting jenas to be worth 15 million and lescott 10 million.

incredible

it is not worth buying him with18m.too dear!
BTW, for which did Carrick play before coming to Red Devil?

He played for the Lilywhite Spurs.

Cking wrote: BTW, for which did Carrick play before coming to Red Devil?

Carrick played for Tottenham before joining Man Utd

Me neither , the only good English players get from being played in the prem is that media can see them regularly otherwise they are forgotten(unless you are DB) , its better to play in diverse leagues or cultures.

Cking wrote:

COTR wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Effenberg wrote:Actually I heard 17m pounds plus extra payments if/when ManU win titles. By English standards the price is perfectly ok. Hargreaves is so much better than people (in he UK) realize.

By top 4 standards you mean, no non-top 4 club could ever spend £17m on a player like Hargreaves, i think most English clubs would be looking to spend a maximum of £8m on a player of his type.

carrick and hargreaves for a combined total of around 35 million is a totally frightening reflection on today's transfer market

Still the papers today are reporting jenas to be worth 15 million and lescott 10 million.

incredible

it is not worth buying him with18m.too dear!
BTW, for which did Carrick play before coming to Red Devil?

Spurs

a club that don't sell their best players. isn't that right kimbo