Manchester United Transfer Rumours: Ferguson to Make £14m Bid For Ivory Coast Star
Sir Alex Ferguson is weighing up a £14m bid for Newcastle midfielder Cheik Tiote, reports suggest, as the United manager looks to bolster his midfield options before the end of the transfer window.
The Cote d'Ivore international joined Newcastle from FC Twente for £3.5m in August 2010 and scored one goal in 27 appearances for the Magpies.
Ferguson is keen to add further options in the centre of midfield, after Owen Hargreaves was released by the club. The United manager is a long-term admirer of Tiote and the Scot could turn to the 25-year-old as he looks to bring in a genuine defensive midfielder to support Anderson, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher.
Earlier this month, Ferguson said United would not go back into the transfer market this summer, declaring "you can forget" the idea of signing Wesley Sneijder and placing his faith in the emerging crop of young players at Old Trafford.
"When you take that roll call of [young] players, I'm certainly not looking to add to that," the United manager said.
But Ferguson's stance is believed to have changed following an injury-hit opening day victory over West Brom.
Full-back Rafael (shoulder) and Patrice Evra (knee) were both absent as the defending champions opened their campaign with a 2-1 win.
Ferguson's problems were compounded when Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand both limped off during the match, with the latter expected to miss six weeks with a damaged hamstring.
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