Ferguson has the funds to bid for Owen
Aug 1 2005
Liverpool Echo
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been given the green light to bid for Michael Owen and must now decide whether the England striker fits into his plans.
OT:RACE HATE KILLING:JOEY BARTONS BROTHER DID ITPolice hunting the racist persons of black teenager Anthony Walker have named two men they want to trace - Paul Taylor and Michael Barton. A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said they believed Taylor and Barton...
Ferguson already has four international strikers at his disposal in Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Louis Saha and Alan Smith.
There is also the prospect of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returning to fitness this season, while David Bellion provides another option.
However Owen's scoring record at the highest level is proven, and United have indicated they would back Ferguson should he want to bring Owen back to the Premiership from Real Madrid.
United chief executive David Gill said: "The money is there for Alex.
"If he identifies a talent that he thinks will improve the squad - and that is the crucial thing - the funds are available.
"The Glazers have said that if there is a big player out there who is available, then the money is there to go for him.
"We can still afford a lot of money for top players and at the same time we are also able to develop many of our own."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was coy last night regarding Owen, neither firmly dismissing the possibility of Owen coming to Highbury nor stating that he was a prime target.
"At the moment I'm not looking for a striker. I'm looking at some other areas," he said. "I have not made any approach for Michael Owen."
The signings over the weekend of strikers Julio Baptista and Robinho have left Owen as Madrid's fifth-choice striker, behind the new arrivals plus Raul and Ronaldo.
