Manchester United caved in to Tottenham Hotspur's demands and paid £30.75 million (38 million euro) to finally land Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov minutes before the transfer window slammed shut on midnight on September 1.
With the second half of Tottenham's first-choice forward pairing for the past two seasons sold, United's under-21 striker Fraizer Campbell will move to White Hart Lane on a season-long loan as part of the deal, giving Spurs an additional option in attack. Robbie Keane had joined Liverpool in August for a reported £20.3 million (25 million euro).
Tottenham also agreed to drop their complaint to the Premier League against United, in which they accused the Old Trafford club of tapping up the Bulgarian, as part of the deal. Towards the end, the dispute threatened to become even more acrimonious than it has been over the past month, with United manager Alex Ferguson reportedly picking Berbatov up at the Manchester airport and the striker undergoing a medical at the club's Carrington training facility without Tottenham's approval, British broadsheet The Times reported.
Manchester City, who put in a British transfer record bid of £34 million (42 million euro) and had it accepted, never got a chance to talk to the Bulgarian. Flush with money from its new owners, a company owned by the Abu Dhabi royal family, they still stole United's thunder by securing Chelsea target Robinho from Real Madrid for a British record £32.5 million (40.1 million euro).
Berbatov had become the subject of a tug-of-war between three clubs in the final hours of the transfer deadline day, with Real reportedly preparing a bid of their own for the Bulgarian, according to reports in Spain, but the bid never came.
In the end, the striker went to the club that has targeted him for the past 18 months: "Joining Manchester United is a dream come true for me. I look forward to playing my part in helping this club win more honours in the years to come," he said as he was unveiled as a United player, signing a four-year deal.
He is expected to slot straight into United's starting team, adding new pace and threat to an attack force that has looked lightweight at the start of the season.
"This is a key signing," Ferguson told the club's official website. "Dimitar is one of the best and most exciting strikers in world football. His style and ability will give the team a different dimension and I’m sure he will be a popular player with the fans."
With the league taking a break for the start of the World Cup qualifying matches, Berbatov's first appearance in United colours is expected to be against rivals Liverpool on September 13.
