LONDON (AFP) — Manchester United beat the transfer deadline to complete a 30.75 million pounds (37.7 million euros) deal for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov on Tuesday.
Berbatov, 27, agreed a four-year contract with United and Tottenham confirmed the deal on their website 45 minutes after the transfer window shut.
Manchester City had tried to lure Berbatov to Eastlands after having an offer accepted for the Bulgarian, but he opted to join the European champions following talks with United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the club's Carrington training ground.
United's young striker Fraizer Campbell has gone to Tottenham in a year-long loan as part of the deal, while the London club have agreed not to pursue a complaint against United for making an illegal approach to the player.
Berbatov passed a medical at a south Manchester hospital and then went to Old Trafford, where he put pen to paper on the deal with Ferguson and United chief executive David Gill.
Forty minutes before the deadline expired, United submitted papers to the Premier League, hoping the registration would go through in time.
With Cristiano Ronaldo still sidelined after ankle surgery and Louis Saha sold to Everton, Ferguson desperately needed to bring in Berbatov to ease the load on Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney.
Ferguson believes Berbatov has the quality to score goals himself and create chances for others.
Some may question the player's temperament in light of his recent behaviour but Ferguson has worked with plenty of highly-strung individuals, including Eric Cantona, and got the best out of them.
He will expect to do the same with Berbatov, starting when United travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on September 13.
