Manchester United will not sign players over 26 years old

Dimitar Berbatov, who was 27 when he signed from Tottenham Hotspur last September, has been described as the "last of his kind" in a move that has immediate implications for their attempts to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

The restrictions automatically mean that Sir Alex Ferguson's admiration for Franck Ribéry will not manifest itself in a concerted attempt to sign the France international. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich's chairman, said yesterday that United, Chelsea and Barcelona had all lodged bids but the Premier League champions say that is not true.

Instead, the policy from now onwards is that the club will have a strict age-before-ability approach in which they will sign players in big-money deals only if they will retain a significant market value some years after signing a five- or six-year contract.

Karim Benzema, the Lyon striker, would fit into their strategy, being 21, but Ribéry is considered too old even though he turned 26 only two months ago and is approaching what are generally considered the best years of a footballer's career. United's thinking is that Ribéry would cost close to £60m and have no significant resale value, leaving Chelsea, who have tabled a formal bid believed to be around £40m, hopeful of signing the France international, particularly as Real Madrid's interest appears to have cooled.

Read more...