Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday ruled United out of the race to sign Arsenal's Samir Nasri, as the United manager believes Nasri has agreed to move elsewhere, so he has moved quickly to place a bid for his long-term target in Sneijder. Attention is now turned to Inter Milan and their decision as to whether or not they will accept the offer which would eclipse United's current transfer record of £30.75 for Dimitar Berbatov back in 2008.
Sneijder would prove to be Manchester United's most expensive midfield signing ever, with only Juan Sebastian Veron coming close with his £28.1 million transfer fee back in 2001, although United will be hoping that if Sneijder joins his spell will be more successful that the Argentinian's.
Sneijder has been offered £200,000 per week in wages according to TalkSport's Italy reporter Paddy Agnew, and by my calculations, on a four year deal would cost in wages alone, £41.6 million. Add that to the transfer fee and Sneijder would cost somewhere up to £76.6 million in total.
If Manchester Untied could not afford this, they wouldn't have placed the offer, so we must presume that the Old Trafford executives, including David Gill as well as the United manager and the clubs owners understand this, and they have the money to fund a move.
For those worried that United would make too big a loss for the purchase of Sneijder to even be considered, then I would suggest you cast your mind back to Real Madrid'd purchase of United's star man, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 for £80 million on extraordinary wages. One year after Ronaldo joined Madrid, the Spanish club reported that they had already recouped the £80 million transfer fee in shirt sales with the Ronaldo name printed on the back.
Manchester United, the worlds biggest club and massive worldwide brand should be optimistic of similar success in signing such a big player in Sneijder. Many fans around the world will be hugely enthusiastic about the signing of an intended Paul Scholes replacement, and would be readily and excitedly prepared to fork out around £40-£50 to buy the United shirt with "Sneijder" on the back.
However, the decision still remains in Inter Milan's and Sneijder's hands. The bid is certainly a substantial one - for both the club and the player, and if either the club or the player turns down the offer, I cannot see United upping it by a large amount, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson still searching for that midfield star capable of reaching Paul Scholes standards.
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