Manchester United’s manager Alex Ferguson was convinced that he was as good as done on his goal for this summer – getting Tottenham's Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov.

On July 18, The Sun quoted him as saying that he was convinced Manchester United would land Dimitar Berbatov before the start of the season. It was the first time Ferguson was talking about his hunt for the Bulgarian, according to tabloid The Sun.

“We have made Tottenham an offer on Berbatov and we have good expectations that this deal will go through […] Berbatov has been impressive during a long time and would be a great addition to our attack,” Ferguson, who started tracking Berbatov seven years ago, said.

Manchester United offered 22 million pounds for the striker, according to the tabloid, but Tottenham were holding out for more. Although Ferguson hoped to have the deal done before United’s tour of South Africa, he was still confident the transfer will go through despite interest from Spanish giants Barcelona, The Sun said.

According to the newspaper, Barcelona wanted Berbatov to replace Ronaldinho, who went to AC Milan, given that Samuel Eto’o may also leave the club.

 “I think time will work for us more than against us,” Ferguson commented. “We will not stress this situation. We are hoping to have a constructive conversation with Tottenham in the near future.”