Manchester United are expected to complete the signing of Bordeaux midfielder Gabriel Obertan later today.
According to French newspaper L'Equipe, a £8million deal has been agreed for the 20-year-old.
With Obertan unable to secure a place in the Bordeaux team last season, his imminent transfer to Old Trafford is something of a surprise. The French Under-21 international was loaned out to fellow Ligue 1 side Lorient for the second half of last season where he featured 15 times scoring just the one goal.
The Sun reports that he passed a medical in Manchester on Monday and has been ordered to remain in the north-west.
'Obertan, who can play in a central midfield role or up front, had hoped to return home to Bordeaux after his physical check-up,' the newspaper reports. 'But United chiefs told him he must start training with his new team-mates this morning.'
Your Comments
rexsedgister
"BigNicky- I assume by reffering to Adriano as a "BIG NAME" you're being ironic. I think he's be brilliant until he disappears back to brazil the first time he gets any criticism. As for your obsession with a big names, why is there now an assumption that you can't win anything without someone from a top-ten FIFA list in your team. Ronaldo/Kaka/Benzema/Messi/Villa aren't playing for anyone else in the Premiership either. as for comparing Adriano to Cantona. Get a grip"
mancunian4life
"Could prove to be a good signing by Sir Alex, can play on either side or through the middle. He has a lot of skill, but there's no end product as yet, similar to a certain teenager from Madeira when he arrived at OT.
My only worry is that this signing will probably signal the end of our interest in Douglas Costa, who in my opinion, is a much better talent, and also has more potential. He will be a world class player in 3-5 years time and I don't want another big club to snap him up after Sir Alex alerted the world to his potential before anyone else."
Griff
"Hmmm. I get the impression that people are writing off United simply because they're signing players who aren't currently considered world class. How does anyone know how good Obertan or Valencia really are? Would Cristiano Ronaldo have been football's hottest property if he was still playing for Sporting Lisbon?
IrishKopite, there was nothing jammy about "Fergie's Fledglings". In fact, the complete overhaul of the club's coaching and talent-nurturing setup is one of the key reasons that Martin Edwards gave for Fergie not even being considered for the sack in early 1990 (when the whole of the media got it into their heads that he would be if they failed to beat Forest in the FA Cup). I don't think that particular situation will happen again anywhere, though; the margins for error are so small at the top of the Premier League nowadays that clubs are choosing to buy in already-developed talent who have already cut their teeth elsewhere."
BigNicky
"Bit of a joke this...who has genuinely heard of this bloke...aprt from the football manager geeks who can probably explain to me his attribute in marks out of 20? We lose Tevez and Ronaldo and replace them with an Ecuadorian right winger who looks good playin alongside a bunch of inadequates at Wigan, Michael Owen who despite my hope will come good, I cant imagine it and now this geezer whos name I cant remember from the top of the page! Saying that when Ronaldo first signed I had heard little of him bar the talk of every United player urging Fergie to sign him! Maybe he will come good but with 100 million+ to spend the fans wont be appeased unless Fergie brings in a big name....and Huntelaar certainly wont be that! Cant get a game at Real (to be fair hes got less chance now!) but United are going to pay £20 million for him? Bit daft...if that was the plan all along why not involve him in the Ronaldo transfer? Basically because United are running out of options and are trying to bring in a big name...they would be better bringing back van Nistelrooy for a tenth of the price if they wanna give Real some cash back because even at his age van Nistelrooys still gunna score more goals than this bloke! Im not suggesting United buy van Nistelrooy as it goes against all Uniteds transfer policies but Huntelaar, for me anyway, is not the answer....why not try Adriano (is he still out of favour at Inter) few years ago he was gettin rave reviews....troubled character maybe but Fergie has a good record with these characters, Cantona prime example! Just a thought...."
hoarse_trojan
"For a full picture of Utd you can't just go on their 1st XI, you have to look at the whole squad including the reserves. If you've been watching and reading you'll know that Lee Martin has just been sold. He was a fast, skillful promising forward, but didn't quite make the grade. You can regard Obertan as a replacement, albeit a more promising one in my opinion, with more 1st team experience.
We might also lose Frazier Campbell and Manucho who still haven't proven themselves worth of the 1st team.
Stop looking at every signing as a replacement for Ronaldo. Fergie is building the squad and we should just let him do that."
irish_conor
"quote from irishkopite "Carrick/Nani/Anderson/Berbatov and the like only won the league and European Cup thanks to Ronaldo...what now he's gone?"
Arnt you forgetting our defensive record? best defence in the league? I think that won us the title! Berbatov a failure? look at his stats.. 14 goals and 9 assists in all competitions, yea..maybe he didnt play to the level we expected every minute of a game but he delivered non the less and scored plenty of vital goals, as did rooney, as did carrick (in 2 seperate occassions scored the match winner this season) as did Macheda (also scored 2 match winners this season)... ferguson hasnt stopped spending yet, when he does he will let the fans know public like he always does, there are more big players out there not just your villa's/eto'o's/riberys/benzema's.. and trust me fergie will deliver, just like he has done the past 3 seasons, we have won doubles and trebles before ronaldo came, we will win them after ronaldo.. I've been listening to liverpool fans for years give mindless comments about how they will deliver in the premier league..bollocks!"
simondo
"Here is what I think for what it's worth. As a huge MANU fan for years and years of course i'm going to be slightly biased... but in this case hear me out...
I think that Fergie wanted Benzema and Ribery for the Ronnie money.. now it's looking like that is NOT going to be possible..
I think that Fergie might look to UN-SEAT Ribery and Benzema out of the French national side with André-Pierre Gignac and this guy Obertan. Becuase he IS that spiteful and wants to win that badly..
On the wings for France you have Nasri, Henry, Ben Arfa and Ribery.. Lets face it.. Ribery was utter pants for France in the Euros.. and I really wouldn't pay more than 22m for him in a NORMAL year.
Not too difficult to get two players into that top half of the france team at the minute.
Fergie is sittin there thinking.. right.. no one there ready made.. transition year.. strongest through the middle, so plenty of competition out wide.. we'll have a go.. 3m for this guy.. he's pretty flimsy, but we might be able to make a bit out of him.. "
WealthyB
"...Oh and Valencia. Makes 5."
WealthyB
"harryboulton - "Rafa's transfer policy remains, at best, average, and at worse, shocking. Nothing more than a scatter-gun approach which turns out the odd gem in every 5 or 6 transfers. "
I know. Shocking stuff isn't it? I'm sure that Nani, Tosic, Ljadij, Oberton will all become world beaters. Dolt."
northstander
"think about it the season hasnt even started let alone finished so let's wait until then shall we?"
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