Manchester United are set to give up on their bid to land Dimitar Berbatov after being quoted a staggering £38million by Tottenham for the Bulgaria striker.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy have become embroiled in a war of words over Berbatov after Spurs rejected a £20m bid.
The Premier League and European champions were planning to increase their initial offer, but have now decided to look at alternative options after Levy reported United for tapping up the 27-year-old and Ferguson responded by threatening legal action.
That could lead to a game of brinkmanship, with Spurs likely to use Barcelona's growing interest to crank up a bidding war for Berbatov but United are refusing to pay a premium on a player who cost £10.9m from Bayer Leverkusen two seasons ago.
Blackburn Rovers
