Surely there has to come a time when Tottenham Hotspur must admit defeat over Dimitar Berbatov and grant his wish for a transfer to a Champions League club? After all, it will be at least two seasons before Spurs can even entertain the idea of playing in Europe’s elite competition, and there have been enough signals from the Bulgarian and his agent that the player no longer wants to be at White Hart Lane.

It’s also pretty clear that Manchester United are in the hunt for Berba, with The Guardian reporting that they have already had a £20milllion bid rejected and are likely to up the ante. The article in question also has a picture of the player looking very James Dean-esque, with a cigarette drooping out of his mouth.

Yet Tottenham have adopted a typically stubborn stance, suggesting that nothing has changed between last summer and this, in that Berbatov is not for sale. The 27-year-old has two years to run on his contract and, thereafter, the club have an option on his services for a further two years. Berbatov has so far refused to agitate in public for a transfer.

Once again, we have a Ronaldo-type situation where a player wants out and a club are putting their foot down. Surely this is going to happen on an increasingly regular basis, with contracts not worth the paper that they’re written on, and only there to seemingly guarantee that a player can’t move on for nothing? Perhaps Spurs are more reluctant to sell their star striker to a Premier League rival rather than a club in Europe?