Soccer Extreme : Manchester United could have signed Portuguese striker Bebe for around £125,000 last January, according to the Daily Mail.The report claims that the 20-year-old player, who was plucked from obscurity by United for £7.4million, was being offered around Europe for just 150,000 euros by his former club Estrela da Amadora who desperately needed the money.
Former Estrela coach Jorge Paxaio told Sportsmail on Wednesday: "Last season we had no money at all. We were trying to transfer Bebe to other clubs."
"We couldn't get anybody interested. Nobody trusted him. None of the clubs were interested because he had never played at a high level."
Last week, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insisted that Bebe had made a positive impression since his shock arrival from Vitoria Guimaraes.
It had been suggested that Bebe had been a major disappointment since joining and that Ferguson had made a mistake investing so much in a player he had never actually seen.
"Bebe is on a programme doing endurance work because his fitness levels are not near the ones we are at," said Ferguson.
"Other than that he has done well. I know he has had a couple of vicious attacks on him for why he wasn't playing in the reserve game but he was never going to be playing on Tuesday.
"The boy did not deserve that.
"He is a young man trying to make his way in football. They didn't need to do that. It was a really bitter attack. Ability-wise he is excellent. He is a terrific finisher.
"We have been very impressed with that. It is just the fitness levels he needs to get to." (espn)