Real Madrid did not want ‘Bébé says former coach ...

The controversy surrounding the transfer of ‘Bébé shows no sign of abating following revelations in today's Daily Mail. Former Estrela coach Jorge Paxaio claims Bébé was touted around Europe, but no one wanted him as they didn't trust him. According to Paxaio, Manchester United could have signed the Portuguese striker for as little as £150,000 last January.

Perhaps unwisely, Ferguson let it be known that he'd never even seen Bébé in action before sanctioning the move and the relatively hefty transfer fee of £7.4m. The United manager has had plenty to say about lack of value in the transfer market of late, but should Bébé fail to make the grade Fergie could stand accused of wasting money.

According to Fergie, United had to move quickly to sign Bébé because other clubs were interested in the player, but those views conflict with the claims of former Estrela coach Jorge Paxaio.

Hopefully, Bébé will prove the doubters wrong and he will prove to be good value but his transfer to United has certainly caught the attention of the media and until we see the player proving his worth in the red shirt you can expect this story to rumble on.

No one wanted Bébé