The Times:
Manchester United were adamant last night that "nothing has changed" in the drama over Rio Ferdinand’s contract negotiations, but claims by the player’s agent that talks over a new deal have reached deadlock will have done nothing to convince the club’s supporters of the England defender’s insistence that he wishes to remain at Old Trafford. Rumours are rife that Real Madrid are preparing to move for Ferdinand should the player not accept United’s offer of a club-record deal worth £100,000 a week.
But while David Gill appeared relaxed when questioned about the matter last weekend, the United chief executive need only look at what happened with Steven Gerrard and Liverpool to know that contract discussions have a habit of spiralling out of control when they are not resolved speedily. Indeed, it was with the Gerrard saga in mind that Sir Alex Ferguson recently urged Ferdinand to sign on the dotted line.
Ferguson was only too aware of how the constant speculation over Gerrard’s future strained the England midfield player’s relationship with Rafael Benítez and the United manager clearly has reservations about whether his relationship with Ferdinand can survive many more months of uncertainty.
Ferguson and Ferdinand have been on uneasy terms since the player’s missed drugs test in 2003, which earned him an eight-month ban from the FA, and the Scot believes that the defender owes United a debt of gratitude for the way they stood by him when everyone else was branding him a disgrace.
The Screws:
United have offered a basic wage of around £95,000 a week with a further £15,000 a week in image rights. That is higher than Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy — but the basic wage is the same.-a policy United insist they simply can not break.
Instead they will leave the offer on the table for Ferdinand to consider with the stark warning that he can take it or leave it.
Sir Alex Ferguson said: "It doesn't bother me.
"We have a good squad of players here and we will cope with whatever happens.
"It is really entirely up to the player.
"We have made an offer. That is our position. It is a good offer.
"Whether he signs or not, he has two years left on his deal. We have to expect nowadays that negotiations take longer than they used to take.
"Agents play their part and, in my experience, talks tend to get dragged out."