Manchester United were once told their transfer bid would “only buy the player’s right leg”.
It was when the Red Devils were pursuing the signing of Rio Ferdinand from Leeds. The then-promising England centre-back had been impressing for club and country for a number of years.
But United low-balled cash-strapped Leeds in the 2002 summer transfer window, or at least so the Yorkshire club claimed. Former United CEO David Gill recalled their negotiations as he discussed transfers on Ferdinand’s Vibe With Five podcast.
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“Each deal was sort of the same but also slightly different,” Gill explained. “Certain players there might be competition for and are more difficult to get. Clearly other players we knew we could get to, for example (gestures to Ferdinand).
“Just on that, it’s a joke. Peter Kenyon was chief exec on the time, and we have been taking a look at Rio, so we made a suggestion to Leeds. Peter Risdale was the chairman on the time.
“Anyway so I went over the Peter Kenyon’s house, which is in the Cheshire countryside, and Peter Risdale was coming over. So we’d faxed him an offer for Rio, and Peter Risdale responded, ‘Well that might buy his right leg.’ And that was it, you see.”
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(Image: Man Utd through Getty Images)
Leeds finally accepted a bid of £29.3million, probably rising as much as £33.3m with efficiency associated add-ons, from the Old Trafford chiefs on account of their monetary struggles.
While that made Ferdinand the most costly British footballer in historical past on the time, Leeds had already made him the world’s costliest defender when shopping for him for £18m two years prior.
The sum proved to be cash properly spent for United. Ferdinand went on to win six Premier Leagues, three League Cups and a Champions League throughout his 12-year keep.