Dimitar Berbatov: Fulham favourites says Juventus chief

Dimitar Berbatov: Fulham favourites says Juventus chief
credit: //www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19418472



Dimitar Berbatov has been linked with a move to Fulham after a deal with Italian club Fiorentina fell through.

Juventus also want the Manchester United striker but said Fulham were leading the race for the 31-year-old.

Giuseppe Marotta, director general of Juventus, said: "There was a proposal by Fulham. We made our own, then the player said he preferred to stay in England for family reasons."

Fulham refused to comment when contacted by BBC Sport.

Fiorentina say they had agreed a deal with United and had already paid the first instalment of the transfer fee for the former Bulgaria international, who was a £30.75m signing from Tottenham in 2008.

A statement from the Serie A club criticised the player, claiming he had failed to arrive in Florence to finalise the move after paying for his flight.

"He's not worthy of our city, our shirt and the values it represents," read the statement.

Fiorentina, looking to rebuild after a disappointing 13th-place finish last season, said they had reached a verbal agreement with the player over the terms of his contract.

They also claim United granted written permission for Berbatov to travel to Florence for a medical and to sign the contract.

"The player embarked in the company of his agent and with tickets paid by Fiorentina on a direct flight to Florence," the statement added. "But the player never arrived in Florence."

The club blamed "the reckless and arrogant actions of other clubs" and said they were "happy" that Berbatov would not be signing for Fiorentina.

Berbatov's agent was unavailable for comment when contacted by BBC Sport, but Marotta defended Juventus against Fiorentina's accusations.

"We have acted with the maximum fairness and transparency with regard to the market dynamics," he told Sky Italia.

"I reject the allegations from Fiorentina. We entered into the business over Berbatov when we heard that he had refused Fiorentina."

In July, Berbatov said it would be "better for everyone" if he left United after starting just five Premier League matches last season.

He has seen his chances of earning more regular first-team football diminish further with the arrival this summer of £24m striker Robin van Persie from Arsenal.

Create Date : 30 สิงหาคม 2555 Last Update : 30 สิงหาคม 2555 19:34:08 น. Counter : 1249 Pageviews.		0 comments
Share Tweet