Can Ferguson tame the incredible sulk?

Dimitar Berbatov, the target in question, has apparently left his current Tottenham team-mates less than impressed with his sombre demeanour during the club's pre-season training camp in Spain - in stark contrast to Liverpool target Robbie Keane.

Cut back to Old Trafford, where the fate of Cristiano Ronaldo has still to be decided, and Ferguson appears to have enough problems to deal with without adding to his headaches by signing the Bulgarian for £28million.

Out of all the Premier League managers, Ferguson tolerates disruptive behaviour from his Manchester United players the least - as Jaap Stam, David Beckham and Dwight Yorke can all attest.

Berbatov is reputed to be one of the moodiest players in the game - he is often described as a bit of a loner by his team-mates - and yet he has been on the wanted list at Old Trafford for a year.

Both the striker and his agent Emil Dantchev have made no secret of their desire to go to a Champions League club and Berbatov went on record 12 months ago to say how much he would love to play under Ferguson.

He said: "Of course I like Sir Alex's team. Their style is attacking and pleasant to watch and it coincides with my own style of playing football.

"Giggs, Scholes and Rooney are fantastic players and that fast guy Ronaldo on the right side is a magician with the ball, he plays football from another planet.

"Of course, it would be a pleasure for me to play with these guys; they simply know how to have fun on the pitch."

Statements like that have seen Juande Ramos planning for life without his main striker, who has scored 46 goals in two seasons at the club, for some time now but this is not how he wanted his pre-season to go.

The head coach wanted to have all the transfers both in and out of the club sorted out by now.

It's not that chairman Daniel Levy hasn't backed him in the transfer market. They have been the most active club so far with deals for Luka Modric, Giovani dos Santos, Heurelho Gomes and John Bostock totalling more than £30m, while Espanyol striker Luis Garcia is next in line and they are negotiating with Blackburn for David Bentley.

But with Berbatov's other striking partners, Robbie Keane and Darren Bent, also being strongly linked with moves elsewhere, there is a danger Tottenham will have an all-new frontline next season. The longer it takes for the situation to be resolved, the less time Ramos will have to get the team playing the way he wants.

It is understood that Ramos is looking to play with a lone striker up front, while employing three attacking players including Modric and Dos Santos behind him. If Bent does stay, he is only considered good enough to fulfil a squad role and the club are looking to find a quality replacement for Berbatov.

Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz seems the perfect fit for Ramos' formation, yet Rovers are tough negotiators - as Spurs have also found with their pursuit of Bentley. The club are also resolved to keep Keane, but Liverpool have proven with their chase of Aston Villa's Gareth Barry that they don't give up easily.

Whatever happens over the next few weeks, Brazil international Gilberto still believes Spurs can make an impact this season.

He said: "The challenge is to win the UEFA Cup and to finish in the four first places in the Premier League and that is our aim."

Should Berbatov go, then Spurs will need a top-class replacement to fulfil Gilberto's ambition.