Ferguson admits Manchester United move for Robin van Persie has stalled as Arsenal talk to other clubs
By Mancunian Matters sport staff
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his attempts to sign want-away Arsenal captain Robin van Persie have stalled, with the Gunners apparently speaking to other clubs.
Sir Alex has made no secret of his desire to sign the Dutch striker, 11 months left on his Arsenal contract and has turned down an offer to extend his deal at the Emirates Stadium.
But now the United boss admits that any bid to sign van Persie has stalled, with Arsenal apparently unwilling to sell their star player to another Premier League club or even enter negotiations until an offer exceeds £20million.
He said: "We've made a bid, they have been trying to negotiate with other clubs.
"I don't have a gut feeling about it. We can't get a breakthrough with Arsenal."
United tabled a bid for van Persie last month and it is unknown whether they have improved their offer for the forward, who scored 41 goals in 53 games for club and country last season.
I don't know what Arsenal's thoughts are because they're not giving anything away," Sir Alex added.
"It's difficult to say why they're operating this way. I can't give you any more information. We just have to persevere.
"We are trying our best and hopefully it will come our way but there's no progress at this moment in time."
United continued their pre-season campaign last night with a 0-0 draw against Barcelona in Gothenburg.
Wayne Rooney saw a first half penalty saved by Barca keeper Victor Valdes while United keeper David De Gea was also in fine form to keep out his countrymen.
Advertisement
The tie was decided by a penalty shoot-out, which the Catalan giants won 2-0 in front of a crowd of more than 41,000 in the Swedish city.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
Post new comment