Berbatov flies out to seal Fiorentina switch
Reuters - Wednesday 29 August 2012, 07:42
Manchester United striker Dimitar
Berbatov flew to Italy on Wednesday to complete a move to Serie
A club Fiorentina, a source close to the Bulgarian told Reuters.
"Fiorentina have agreed personal terms with Dimitar and
they'll announce the deal very soon," the source, who asked not
to be identified, said, adding the transfer was subject to
Berbatov passing a medical.
Berbatov, who became United's most expensive player when he
joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £30.75 illionm, had reached an agreement with the Serie A club
on a two-year contract with an option for a further year.
The 31-year-old was the Premier League joint-top scorer in
the 2010/11 season with 20 goals but has struggled to hold down
a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's starting line-up since and was keen
to revive his career in another top European league.
Ferguson made it clear it was probably time for Berbatov,
who is Bulgaria's all-time leading scorer with 48 goals, to look
for a move when he signed Dutch striker Robin Van Persie from
Arsenal prior to the start of the Premier League season.
If the deal is completed, Berbatov will become the fourth
Bulgarian in Serie A after defender Nikolay Iliev and strikers
Hristo Stoichkov and Valeri Bojinov, who played for Fiorentina
between 2005 and 2007.
Football experts in Bulgaria believe the transfer could also
lead to Berbatov ending his self-imposed international exile.
Earlier this year, Berbatov, who quit the national team in
2010, said he would be open to an approach from coach Luboslav
Penev after he moved to a club where he could play regularly.