The prospect of Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov leaving current club Tottenham Hotspur in one of this summer's blockbuster transfer moves appears increasingly less likely with every passing day.
Despite serving as fodder for numerous transfer gossip column inches in the closing stages of the Premier League season, talk of Berbatov leaving the White Hart Lane club has quieted down, with none of the interested parties apparently putting in a bid for the striker.
Valued at 30 million pounds at one point by head coach Juande Ramos, Tottenham seem to have successfully scared off potential suitors, among them the freshly-crowned European champions Manchester United and Barcelona.
Berbatov could yet rue the fact that Bulgaria is missing out on a trip to the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland, a stage where he could have showcased his talents against the continent's best defenders. Bulgaria was third in its qualifying group G on 25 points, just one point behind the Netherlands, with Berbatov finishing joint-top scorer in the group with six goals.
The tournament, starting on June 7 and ending on June 29, has already put a dampener on transfer dealings, as most of the continent's top players are away on international duty. Their respective clubs are also reluctant to part ways with their prized assets before Euro 2008, in the hope that the price of their prized assets goes up should the players have a good tournament.
Berbatov's prospective transfer has also been hit by Tottenham's failure to line up a ready replacement for the Bulgarian. Attempts to sign Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o, Spain's Luis Fabiano or Paraguay forward Oscar Cardozo, have so far yielded no positive results.
The latest speculation, voiced by Sunday tabloid People on June 1, has Spurs swooping for Real Zaragoza's Spanish striker Diego Milito as a replacement for Berbatov, although should the lofty price tag scare off bidders, Berbatov could yet spend another year at the London club,with whom he has a contract for two more seasons.
