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Ferguson urges Rio to sign new deal
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson wants Rio Ferdinand to kill off any more speculation that he might move to Chelsea by signing a new contract with the Red Devils.
But the defender's meetings with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon at two different London restaurants last week have fuelled speculation that a transfer might happen at the end of the season even though Ferdinand has two years left on his current contract. "The best thing Rio Ferdinand can do is sign his contract and put the matter to bed," Ferguson said Tuesday. "He says he wants to sign for the club and now he has an opportunity to do just that. We have offered him a good deal, hopefully something can be done in the next few days." The problem could be Ferdinand's wage demands. Newspaper reports say that the player's agent, Pini Zahavi, wants Manchester United to make Ferdinand the highest-earning defender in world soccer on 120,000 pounds ($286,085 Cdn) a week. He would also overtake Roy Keane, who earns 100,000 pounds ($238,325 Cdn) a week as United's highest earner. If United holds out for something less, then Ferdinand might have a problem. The club will point out it stood by the defender when he was serving an eight-month ban for failing to show up for a random drug test.
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