Manchester United have completed the signing Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur, despite the London club having earlier accepted a shock bid from Manchester City. United striker Fraizer Campbell has moved in the opposite direction on a season-long loan.
Although United have not confirmed how much they have paid for the 27-year-old, Tottenham confirmed that they had agreed a fee of £30.75million. As part of the deal, Spurs have agreed not to pursue a complaint against United for making an illegal approach to the player.
"This is a key signing," said the United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. "Dimitar is one of the best and most exciting strikers in world football. His style and ability will give the team a different dimension and I am sure he will be a popular player with the fans."
Berbatov was driven away from Old Trafford just before the announcement of his move was made public. In a statement the Bulgarian said: "Joining Manchester United is a dream come true for me. I look forward to playing my part in helping this club win more honours in the years to come."
Ferguson and chief executive David Gill had welcomed Berbatov to their Carrington training ground earlier in the evening as they tried to close the deal before the midnight transfer deadline - although it was unclear whether Tottenham had granted United permission to talk to the Bulgarian. Spurs had already made an official complaint to the Premier League about United's conduct and seemed more willing to sell to City, whose audacious bid came after the announcement that the club were to be taken over by a United Arab Emirates business group, Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment.
However as the deadline approached City officials were preoccupied with another equally startling move - signing Real Madrid's Robinho from under the nose of Chelsea - and Berbatov's transfer to United seemed increasingly inevitable.
Berbatov, who joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in 2006 in a four-year deal, scored 23 goals in 52 appearances last season, including a penalty in Spurs' 2-1 win over Chelsea in the League Cup final. Spurs boss Juande Ramos had omitted his star striker from successive matches this season and Berbatov was criticised by team-mates for his attitude towards the club.
