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Former Manchester United striker and Bournemouth target Dimitar Berbatov 'in talks' with Olympiakos

Dimitar Berbatov scored 48 goals in 108 appearances at Manchester United

Konstantinos Lianos
Sunday 21 June 2015 15:48 BST
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Former Tottenham, Manchester United and Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov is close to a deal with Olympiakos, reports suggest.

Bulgarian and Greek media suggest the 34-year-old has held advanced talks with the Greek champions who keep him on the top of their list and could have him over in Greece to finalise the deal soon.

Bulgaria's all-time top scorer said he wanted to return to the Premier League and was linked to a move at newly-promoted Bournemouth, however chairman Jeff Mostyn downplayed the rumours.

He told the Daily Mirror: "Dimitar Berbatov was my favourite rumour.

“It was just nice to be linked with a player like that, who has been at Tottenham and Manchester United and was so impressive against Arsenal in the Champions League.

“But I think Eddie (Howe), his assistant Jason Tindall and our chief executive Neil Blake will continue to look for players that fit the profile of this football club."

He added that the Cherries' success is due to players' character that has reflected the team's mission and so they will consider everything regarding new additions, even their conduct on Twitter, in order to preserve their settling dressing room.

The free agent is said to be intrigued by the Piraeus club as he could play for two more years and participate in the Champions League next season.

Nevertheless, Olympiakos are waiting to sign a new manager, with former Sporting boss Marco Silva being on top of the list, who will determine plenty of factors regarding any transfer targets.

Berbatov introduced his talent to the world during his time at Bayer Leverkusen where he featured during the team's impressive run to the 2002 Champions League final.

In 2006 he joined Tottenham where he scored 27 goals in 70 appearances which convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him at Man United two years later.

He featured 108 times for the Red Devils but failed to earn the starting striker's spot, albeit his 48 goals, and then joined Fulham where a series of struggling performances landed him at Monaco where he replaced Radamel Falcao and impressed greatly.

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