Berbatov deal extension close

Manchester United will reportedly extend striker Dimitar Berbatov's contract until summer 2013 at some point this month. The 31-year-old Bulgarian hitman has been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford for the majority of this current campaign after he lost his place to Javier Hernandez in boss Sir Alex Ferguson's starting XI during the second half of last term despite being the club's top scorer. Berbatov has since slipped to fourth in the pecking order with Hernandez, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck all now ahead of him, which prompted talk that he could be set to leave for pastures new. Ferguson has recently stated that he intends to activate a clause in Berbatov's current contract which would see United extend his stay at the club for another 12 months. However, that has not yet been done which has resulted in fresh speculation linking him with a move to Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and big spending Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. But The Independent has reported that United will tie down Berbatov until June 2013 before the end of March and expect to keep him on board as part of Ferguson's squad for another 12 months unless a tempting offer is made from a rival club in the summer or next January's transfer window respectively.