ISL 2017: Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov linked to potential India move
With the Indian Super League (ISL) tenure increased from three to five months, several big names have chosen to give the country's premier football competition a miss. However, sources close to Sportskeeda have revealed that the former Bulgaria international forward Dimitar Berbatov has been in talks with clubs such as Atletico de Kolkata and Delhi Dynamos for the upcoming season to begin in November.
Officials close to his agency CSKA-AS-23 confirmed that they have received legitimate interest from various clubs in the ISL. Our source said, "I can confirm that there has been some strong interest from various clubs from the region, but I cannot reveal any names as we are not in advanced talks. Dimitar is in no rush and is currently accepting offers to take a call about his future soon. Right now he has interest from several clubs across Europe as well, hence a move to Asia is something we cannot confirm as of now as well."
Related: ISL 2017: Atletico de Kolkata chasing former Premier League midfielder
The 36-year old was last seen playing for Greek Superlig outfit PAOK, scoring four goals during the 2016/17. The club chose not to extend his contract, after closely analysing his season's performance. Berbatov's current transfer value is $1 million, but the negotiations will take place at a cheaper rate, due to shorter season length in India. Sources close to ATK also confirmed that they are currently in the market for a striker.
Our source added, "Berbatov was brought to us by a few agents, but we haven't taken things forward as of now. The management is currently deliberating the processed players and are close to signing a striker. However, there is no confirmation who that person is. But, I can say that Berbatov was put forward to us by an agent on a mandate."
The Kolkata franchise has been recently in the news, because of a potential fall-out with Parent club Atletico Madrid. Co-owner Sanjeev Goenka went onto confirm this development in an interview last week. ATK also successfully hired the services of former UEFA Champions League winner, Teddy Sheringham as the team's manager.
The club is also in the market for a foreign Central Defensive Midfielder with talks currently scheduled with several top European agencies. However, there is no confirmation about any player joining the squad as of now.
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