Man Utd make record offer for Ribery

LONDON: Manchester United have offered Bayern Munich 62 million pounds for French midfielder Franck Ribery, in a deal which would set a new world record, the Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday.

The offer, which would better the 66 million euros transfer fee paid by Real Madrid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001, would be conditional on the sale of United winger Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, it said.

The report came after Ribery last week threatened to quit the German giants unless they qualify for the Champions League next season, as the defending Bundesliga champions struggle to defend their title.

The German club, which has long ruled out letting Ribery go, last weekend hinted it could sell the 26-year-old former Marseille star, who has been at Bayern since July 2007.

But the clubs reported as possible new homes have so far been Barcelona and Real Madrid.