Figo may leave Real for United

Luis Figo has given Real Madrid a December deadline to make it clear whether or not they intend to offer him a new contract.

Luis Figo has given Real Madrid a December deadline to make it clear whether or not they intend to offer him a new contract.

The former European Footballer of the Year, who was 32 yesterday, said that if the club does not plan to extend his present deal, which expires in 2006, he would leave at the end of this season. The Spanish paper Marca reported that the former Portuguese international has been made a two-year offer from Manchester United if he can negotiate his way out of Madrid.

"I'm 32, I've got a year and a half left on my contract and the time has come to make decisions. I want to know as soon as possible what Real want," Figo, who was on the verge of joining United before he went to Barcelona in 1995, said.

The United defender Wes Brown has agreed a new deal that will tie him to Old Trafford until 2008.