Striker Deal Draws Step Closer

The signing of Fabio Quagliarella from Sampdoria moved a step closer today after the player expressed his desire to move to the premiership champions after they increased their initial bid.

The initial bid, rumored to be around £10 million actually matched the clubs valuation of the player after Quagliarella`s agent stated that they valued him at £10-13 million, however this increased bid which is currently unknown expresses the clubs desire to sign the Italian hitman.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Fabio Quagliarella confirmed United`s fresh bid, before stating his desire to play in the premiership.

'It seems a serious offer, they have raised it and it is an important figure. Manchester United are a big deal and if it ended up going that way, I would gladly join the Premier League. It is a fascinating and beautiful competition.'

However the Sampdoria seemed to change his tune after going on to state his wish to stay in Serie A for the time being to increases his chances of making it in the Italy international squad.

'I am really happy at Sampdoria. I would prefer to remain in Italy, having continuity and having the trust of (national team coach Roberto) Donadoni.'

Despite this, the news still sounds very positive, as it would seem that we are willing to spend that extra bit to pry the 23 year old away from Sampdoria. Regarding the personal desire to stay in Italy to better his international career, I don`t personally agree with this, and I think that a player can easily play in a different country and still play for his national team (C.Ronaldo, Heinze, Evra, Van Der Sar to name but a few), and I`m sure that with the help of Sir Alex`s wisdom, David Gill will be able to agree yet another memorable deal and send out an even bigger message to our rivals that we are ready to defend our crown.

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