Dimitar Berbatov urged Tottenham Hotspur last night to show understanding over his “dream” of joining Manchester United, whose need for attacking reinforcements was exposed as they began their defence of the Barclays Premier League title with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United.

With an ankle injury ruling Cristiano Ronaldo out for the first six weeks of the new campaign and Carlos Tévez missing yesterday because of a bereavement, Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to give a debut to Fraizer Campbell alongside Wayne Rooney in attack and, with the latter having missed much of preseason with a virus, the United manager admitted that his team sorely lacked penetration at Old Trafford.

Ferguson refused to discuss his interest in Berbatov afterwards, with the clubs still some way apart as they haggle over a fee, but the Bulgaria forward broke his silence on the matter last night, making clear his determination to move to Old Trafford even though he did not refer to United directly. “I’m now in Tottenham, but no one can disagree with me wanting to follow my dream,” he said as he returned to Sofia to prepare for a midweek international friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Mischievously, perhaps, Berbatov sought to compare himself to Eric Cantona, the talismanic former United forward, when asked about his sulky disposition on the bench before he came on during Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat away to Middlesbrough on Saturday. “If I had been laughing when I was on the bench, people would say I was an idiot,” he said. “Eric Cantona never smiled, but I don’t know if anyone ever asked him why he didn’t look happier.”

On Friday lunchtime Berbatov pleaded with Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman, and Damien Comolli, the sporting director, to grant him his wish to be able to join United, but Levy is determined to make United pay £30 million for the forward and will enjoy the thought that Ferguson’s desperation will have grown with yesterday’s result.

United have not made an official bid since a £20.5 million offer was rejected last month, but negotiations continue to take place through intermediaries, with the clubs expected to agree a fee in the region of £28 million this week or, at the very latest, before the transfer window closes on September 1. Emil Dantchev, the player’s agent, said: “We have two more weeks until the end of the transfer window and I think this will be the most important week. I read Alex Ferguson’s statement that he wants another striker and I hope that this striker is Dimitar Berbatov.”

Ferguson is expected to offload Louis Saha once a deal is agreed for Berbatov, with AS Roma continuing to show an interest in the France forward, and he may yet agree to loan Campbell to Hull City, whom he helped to win promotion last season. Another United player who could yet leave before the transfer window closes is Mikaël Silvestre, who has attracted interest from Celtic and, closer to home, Manchester City. Previously this summer the France defender indicated that he would prefer to stay at Old Trafford for a tenth season, even if his first-team opportunities appear increasingly limited.

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