Ryan Giggs is hopeful Manchester United can agree a deal with Bayern Munich to sign midfielder Owen Hargreaves.
Hargreaves has repeatedly expressed his desire for a move to Old Trafford and United winger Giggs told the Sun:
“He is a player who would improve us. You want strength in depth and we would be really strong with him.”
But Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has again insisted they will not sell and says Hargreaves is “not making any friends” by asking to leave.
United tried to sign Hargreaves in the summer but Bayern refused to budge and eventually threatened to report the English club to Fifa unless they ceased their interest.
Bayern have since claimed that tax issues would prevent them selling Hargreaves in January.
However, that has not stopped Hargreaves stating publicly that he still wants a move to England.
“It’s about the opportunity to possibly play in another league I haven’t played in before, which is also the country I represent and where my family lives,” said the 25-year-old, who is back in training after recovering from a broken leg.
“I received a lot of criticism for suggesting it would have been a great opportunity, but sometimes you need to say it. I don’t feel bad about anything I said or did. It’s not like I’m saying I want to go to AC Milan or Inter Milan because they’re offering me more money.
It’s because it’s England and because Britain is where my family is. My parents and my brothers are in Canada, but the whole of my dad’s side of the family is in Bolton and my mum’s side is in Rhyl. I think some people don’t realise that. They think I’m half-German or something, but I’m not. I was brought up by a British family. It just happened to be in Canada.”