Manchester United sign Portuguese striker Bebe
Published 22:10 11/08/10 By David McDonnell
Manchester United last night swooped to sign relative unknown Portugal striker Bebe in a £7.4million deal.
Sir Alex Ferguson was in Lisbon on Tuesday to complete the deal for the Guimares forward, who will become the eighth striker on United's books.
United paid the buy-out clause to release Bebe, who was recommended by Portugal boss and former United No.2 Carlos Queiroz - from his five-year contract at Guimares just a month after he joined the club from Portugal's third division.
Although Bebe is not expected to play a prominent role in United's first-team this season, Fergie moved for him on the advice of Quieroz, who said the 20-year-old was too good a prospect to turn down at such a relatively low price.
Fergie had said he was happy with his squad and had no intention of adding to it, but the potential long-term value of Bebe meant the option to sign him was too good to resist and United owners the Glazers gave their boss the green light to land him.
At 6ft 2in, Bebe is said to be an accomplished striker with a poacher's instinct in front of goal, but his arrival at Old Trafford is still a major shock, given Fergie's insistence that he was happy with the current make-up of his squad.
The dreadlocked front man, who who was raised in an orphanage after spending part of his childhood on the streets, played for Portugal in the homeless World Cup and his signing represents something of a gamble for United, given his low-profile and inexperience at the highest level.
A statement released by Manchester United last night read: "Manchester United is pleased to announce it has reached agreement with Portuguese club Vitoria de Guimaraes for the purchase of 20-year-old striker Tiago Manuel Dias Correia - better known as Bebe -for an undisclosed fee, subject to a successful medical in Manchester later this week."
United have no intention of sending Bebe out on loan and United's newest signing will provide competition for their current strikers Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Federico Macheda and Javier Hernandez.
