The Guardian reports:
‘The Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, visited Norway on Monday to press his claim for the transfer of Nigerian teenager John Obi Mikel from the Norwegian soccer club Lyn Oslo.
‘"We have an agreement with Lyn, have followed John Obi Mikel for three years and still want him to come to Manchester United," Ferguson is reported to have said. The midfielder Mikel, 18, signed for Manchester United on April 29 but the deal was thrown into doubt when Mikel said that he had been put under pressure to sign a deal worth about £4m.
‘Last month, Fifa's Dispute Resolution Chamber ruled that Mikel had to return to Lyn after leaving in May without permission. Under the April deal, Mikel was due to leave Lyn for Old Trafford in January 2006 after the end of the Norwegian season, which is played during the summer months.’