Yet another striker: Luis Fabiano

032Devil

From Times Online

Luis Fabiano is reportedly a target of Manchester United
(Reuters/Javier Barbancho)
Oliver Kay


Sir Alex Ferguson has been promised whatever funds he needs in the transfer market this summer to maintain Manchester United as the dominant force in the Barclays Premier League. United won a second successive league title on Sunday and hope to add the Champions League crown by beating Chelsea in Moscow next week, but David Gill, the chief executive, has assured Ferguson that he will be given the money to buy reinforcements, such as Luís Fabiano, the prolific Seville and Brazil forward.

Ferguson’s main priority is to sign a centre forward to share the goalscoring burden with Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tévez and Cristiano Ronaldo. The United manager has lost patience with Louis Saha, who started only six Premier League games this season, and is considering players such as Dimitar Berbatov, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, of Ajax, but the name emanating from Old Trafford yesterday was that of Fabiano, who has scored 33 goals in Spain’s La Liga for Seville this season.

United are not yet thought to have spoken to Seville about Fabiano, 27, but they have been informed of his availability by a third party and have scouted him extensively in recent weeks, with Ferguson having sought reports from his brother, Martin, who is the club’s chief European scout, Jim Lawlor, the chief scout, and Mike Phelan, the first-team coach. Their interest will hinge on a dispute with Seville, with Fabiano and his representatives convinced that he can be bought for £8.6 million. The Spanish club are standing by a prohibitive £46.8 million valuation that they claim is in his contract.

If Fabiano is available at a cut-price fee, United will make their move, but, if not, they will consider other targets. Ferguson admires Berbatov, who is eager to leave Tottenham, but he is said to be unsure about the Bulgarian’s workrate and his ability to perform against top-class opponents.

sincher

Weird ownership thing with Fabiano. We could probably get him for £7m, but he'd basically still be on loan - a bit like Tevez.

Kelvin

MANCHESTER UNITED will bid £30million for Seville stars Luis Fabiano and Dani Alves this week.

Boss Alex Ferguson is wasting no time in strengthening his squad for next season and expects to strike a deal for the Brazilians.

SunSport can reveal United chief scout Martin Ferguson has watched the pair 10 TIMES in the last three months.

Alves, 25, is seen as the long-term replacement at right-back for Gary Neville while Fabiano, 27, will add presence and goals to the attack.

The hitman, who has netted 33 times in 38 games this season, is only part-owned by the club — 65 per cent of his registration is owned by a private investment group similar to the Carlos Tevez situation last season.

Both players are regular starters for Brazil and Alves is regarded as the best attacking right-back in the world.

Fergie’s first choice was Porto’s Jose Bosingwa but he got beaten to the Portugal player’s signature by Chelsea on Monday.

Alves was a Blues target last summer but they refused to pay his £24m tag.

http://images.thesun.co.uk/sol/homep...cle1155152.ece

KeyserSoze

I doubt that we are interested in him especially since it says we have not contacted them about his availabilty. Alves would have been the one we were watching if anything.

Drifter

Red17

I think £7m is just to pay Seville for their 35% share. However, Premiership rules prohibit part ownership of players, so United will have to cough up more for the other 65%. This will basically value Fabiano at £21m, which is the more realistic going rate for a striker as prolific as he has been in the last season. Now, whether this current season is enough to justify his quality is another issue altogether.

Ekeke

SAF insists Neville will start the season as first choice at right back. So either we've no interest in a 25 year old right back or, if we signed him, he'd be used in midfield.

Fabiano would be a very good backup for Rooney and Tevez.

Sam#1

Just one thing, I keep seeing people saying that he (Fabiano) isn't actually very good, but he's scored 33 goals, in a League that, at best, Torres only managed 15 in, and is Brazil's lead striker.

So how is he not very good?

Please note, I've never seen the guy play.

Ekeke

He just doesnt stand out as much and isnt as skillful. Thats it basically. He has enough of everything to be a very good striker, but nothing in abundance like Torres has speed and finishing technique.

He looks a lot more average, but he's put the numbers down on paper this season and scored a lot of goals.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Good is an understatement. He would be a fit version of Saha on our bench.

devilish

For 21m we can get a better player

BaldwinLegend

Fabiano would not be the player in the Premier League that a fit Saha is.

Sadly, Saha hasn't had the opportunities to remind people what a player he is. There are very very few strikers in the world as perfectly suited to the Premiership as a fit Saha.

Fabiano definitely ain't one of them.

Ekeke

Saha is more of a physical specimen. Fabiano is a better finisher, however.

I do have to point out, he was WAY in front a month or so ago, in the goalscorers tables in La Liga.

He obviously figured he'd already won it and started thinking about his future, with all the quotes coming out.

He then went 6 games without scoring, finally scored again this weekend but got himself booked and suspended so will miss the last game of the season.

Guiza - who was second place a month ago and a vast amount of goals behind, is now 2 goals ahead of him and will most certainly finish top scorer in Spain this season.

Ringo 07

I rate Fabiano very highly. I wonder if the people who don't rate him are the same people who didnt rate Torres before he arrived here?
I must add that that was one hell of a punch he took from Diogo in that match in Brazil a couple of years back.

Mainoldo

I'm not too sure about this one. Seems to be more of the Trezeguet molde but not as good! Has only really shone this season in La Liga (take into consideration it's his 2nd yr). The price is good but if he's not going to be pushing for a 1st team spot every week, it's abit pointless! We don't need a 4th striker, we need someone who's going to make life for Rooney and Tevez hard!

Is he even better Forlan? No Joke.

Mainoldo

Have you seen they way the both play.... Who's going to compare them too! This isn't even baised on this years assesment, if people didn't rate Torres last year it would be for reason completely different to that of Fabiano. The main reason why people never rated Torres is because they felt they where Man United accountant!!

Ekeke

Before this season, Torres had never been a free-scoring striker. He had many outstanding parts to his game (pace, intelligence and the ability to score some spectacular goals) but he wasnt the most productive.

Fabiano on the other hand was extremely productive in Brazil and again, has been very productive this season. But he has no outstanding elements to his game that makes him stand out in the way Torres did. In terms of style he's a little more Morientes (with more pace obviously) than Torres - but I'm sure he'd fare much better in England than Morientes did.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

You are beyond wrong. Fabiano is built for Premiership football. He has only been marking time else where. If he final comes to England and signs for whoever you will see how simlar he is too Saha. Fabiano is way better than most on here realise

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

I with you on this one. He is better than most on here think & holds his own physically. He's chief weakness though is his hot headedness.

Sarni

Well, he never said Fabiano was as good as Torres. All he said are that Fabiano's doubters have no arguments to back them up because 'he couldn't adapt' is not really a good point.

And he's perhaps right.

BaldwinLegend

Thanks for that...

If he's so good, how come he flopped at Porto? How come he's only played 16 times for Brazil?

I'd be mighty mighty surprised if Fergie risked all the effort he's put into this team by buying this guy. His history off the field is shocking...

There are better ways for Fergie to waste 20 million odd quid.

devilish

20m is out of the question but for 7m it may be worth the risk.

BaldwinLegend

Seems like 7m would buy Seville's share in the player, but due to third party ownership issues United would have to pay considerably more to complete the signing and remain within PL rules which prohibit 3rd party ownership.

Alex

maybe buts that's what happened with Mascherano and will happen with Tevez more than likely since I see United

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

The same reason why Saha had been a flop at Newcastle, then went on to star at Fulham and had hardly played for France before we signed him. Some players just mature later than others

So was Cantona's. That never stopped Fergie. Because the signing was worth it.

I honestly can't see that stopping him getting a fit Saha clone if he had the chance.


agreed. Besides, according to reliable reports Fabiano wont cost as much as 20 million.

Raven_Blade

I dont know whether we may buy him but I do know that he fights like a ponce.