SOCCER NEWS:MANCHESTER UNITED accelerated what promises to be a hectic summer of transfer business when they gazumped Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal with a €18 million (£16m) deal for Phil Jones of Blackburn Rovers and set about recouping the money by accepting a €13.5 million (£12m) bid from Sunderland for Republic of Ireland internationals John O'Shea, Darron Gibson and England's Wes Brown.
Sunderland hope to conclude a deal for the three out-of-favour United players with the money they have received from Liverpool as part of the €22.5 million package that has seen Jordan Henderson move to Anfield, with the striker David Ngog heading in the opposite direction as a makeweight valued around €8 million.
That deal was concluded on the most dramatic day of transfer dealings since the end of the last season, but Kenny Dalglish’s satisfaction will be tempered by the events leading to Jones’ late defection to Old Trafford.
Liverpool had been favourites to sign the 19-year-old until United moved in to trigger an €18 million release clause in the player’s contract. Jones and Henderson were both given special dispensation to delay joining up with Stuart Pearce’s England squad ahead of the European Under-21s Championship as they underwent medical examinations with their new employers.
Jones’ signing is also a body-blow for Arsenal, who have now lost out twice to United within the past 18 months when it comes to competing for central defenders. Arsene Wenger had also wanted Chris Smalling from Fulham before he agreed his €11 million deal to Manchester, and the Arsenal manager made a late and unsuccessful attempt to dissuade Jones from joining the champions during a telephone conversation on Tuesday evening.
Wenger did make his first signing of the summer but the arrival of Carl Jenkinson, a 19-year-old defender from Charlton Athletic, was hardly the transfer Arsenal fans had been hoping to see after the disappointing end to last season and the controversy about season-ticket price increases at the Emirates.
Jones, raised in Lancashire, was reluctant to move south and concluded United would give him more opportunities than Liverpool to win trophies, even though he is joining a club that already has an established central defensive pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, with Smalling and Jonny Evans in reserve.
Ferguson has also lined up a potential €9 million move for the 18-year-old Lens defender Raphael Varane, and Jones’ arrival on a five-year contract is unlikely to dilute that interest, especially with United’s defensive options being reduced by the imminent departures of Brown and O’Shea.
Varane has offers elsewhere and has asked for permission to wait until he has finished his baccalaureate exams before making his decision.
Although Ferguson has spoken of hoping to make three signings, the club’s ambition is to bring in up to five players.
A €20 million deal is in place for David de Gea of Atletico Madrid to replace Edwin van der Sar, and the priority is to strengthen a midfield that was badly exposed in the Champions League final against Barcelona.
Ashley Young is one target, with the Aston Villa player making it clear he wants to leave and eager to make some headway before he is married this weekend.
Ferguson is also an admirer of Wesley Sneijder and wants to explore the possibilities of luring the Netherlands international from Internazionale.
United are investigating whether Tottenham would be persuaded to sell Luka Modric at a time when Harry Redknapp is trying to develop a team capable of reaching the Champions League again.
Dimitar Berbatov is the subject of intense debate as well after the Bulgarian did not even make the bench for United’s Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.
Guardian Service
