I don't think Fergie actually named a player but in any case confirming that you've actually made a bid for a player can't be considered tapping-up. Tapping-up is approaching the player without the club's permission and I doubt if United are stupid enough to have done that on the record. While I have no doubt that we've made informal enquiries (probably to his agent) to let Berbatov know we're interested and to see if he would be willing to move if we did a deal with Spurs, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be foolish to do it in a big way... i.e. no dinners at fancy restaurants where you could be spotted with the player. We're not as badly managed as Chelsea.
In any event, we're not known for using player pressure to get the person we want on the cheap. We couldn't be said to have underpaid for a single player we've bought in recent years.
In any event, we're not known for using player pressure to get the person we want on the cheap. We couldn't be said to have underpaid for a single player we've bought in recent years.