Manchester United to tempt Harry with bid for playmaker.
Manchester United are considering a shock £12 million bid for Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt in the January transfer window.
In 2010, when he was Spurs manager, Redknapp sold Taarabt to QPR, famously calling him a “fruitcake”, and the midfielder remains an erratic, if hugely talented player. Redknapp might, understandably, be tempted to sell if the right offer comes in and he is given the funds to buy. It is understood that QPR would push for closer to £15 million if possible.
Manchester United have shown interest in the 23-year-old Moroccan in the past, and considered an offer when QPR were promoted from the Championship. They have continued to monitor his progress.
Taarabt went on loan to QPR in 2009 before signing permanently the following year, for just £1 million, and becoming the key player in the club’s promotion season when he was given the captaincy by the then manager Neil Warnock.
It was then that United were first linked with a move for Taarabt with Warnock claiming Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, had scouted the player, only for him to be sent off against Hull City.
Before the takeover led by Tony Fernandes in August 2011, it was expected that Taarabt would be sold and he was strongly linked to Paris St-Germain.
SOURCE: Daily Telegraph
There will have been some raised eyebrows from Tory politicians reading their Daily Telegraph this morning, after this surprising exclusive claiming that Manchester United are interested in QPR maverick Adel Taarabt.
The news comes the day after new Hoops boss Harry Redknapp described the Moroccan as a ‘match winner’, hinting that he was part of his future plans at Loftus Road.
Even so, Redknapp needs to raise funds to strengthen his defence and strikeforce in January and a £12m offer from Old Trafford may prove hard to resist.
United’s interest in Taarabt appears surprising, however. The 23-year-old is undoubtedly talented by his application is questionable and he has been dogged by accusations of arrogance and laziness.
Critics would argue the former Tottenham man is style of substance but if anyone could get Taarabt on the straight and narrow, it’d be the king of the hairdryer, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Comparisons may naturally be made between French-born Taarabt and Eric Cantona but it’s worth remembering that Cantona had already won a league title when he arrived in Manchester, while Taarabt has only showed flashes of brilliance.
If United can bring the best out of the playmaker and get him tracking back, this could ultimately prove a deal that suits all parties in the long run, particularly if Redknapp can use the money to bid for a much-needed centre-back or striker and save the Rs from the drop.
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