Fergie denies Sneijder bid

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has emphatically denied speculation a big-money move for Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder was imminent.

Reports in the English press on Thursday claimed United were about to break their transfer record with a 35.2-million-pound bid for Sneijder to replace the retired Paul Scholes in midfield.

United chief executive David Gill was said to have come to an agreement with Inter bosses in the past few days and was ready to broach personal terms with the Dutch international.

But a mystified Ferguson has rubbished those reports, saying they are without basis.

“I keep reading about this, there’s absolutely nothing at all to that,” he told ESPN Soccernet Press Pass.

“First of all I don’t think Inter are prepared to sell him anyway. You get conjecture and you get speculation every week in newspapers unfortunately.”

“And we have to answer these for some reason – why, I don’t know, but we have to find a reason without adding insult to any particular club, or embarrassing any particular player. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Sneijder, who is at Inter’s pre-season training camp in Pinzolo, has said he would like to remain with his Serie A side, where he is contracted until 2015.

The 27-year-old midfielder has won league titles with Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter and the 2010 Champions League in an already storied career.