Liverpool's Gabriel Heinze bid rejected

By Mark Ogden in Seoul

Phil Chisnall, an unheralded former Manchester United forward, is set to retain the 43-year-old distinction of being the last player to leave Old Trafford for Anfield, after United manager Sir Alex Ferguson vetoed Gabriel Heinze's move to Liverpool.

Liverpool met United's valuation of the Argentinian full-back with a £6.8 million bid. However, Ferguson, having assured the 29-year-old that he would be allowed to leave this summer for the right price, made any transfer conditional on Heinze moving abroad, or to a club unlikely to emerge as rivals for domestic honours in the coming season.

United chief executive David Gill admitted yesterday that trading with their great rivals was never an option. He said: "We have received a written offer from Liverpool for Heinze and we have rejected that, because it's Liverpool. We wouldn't sell to Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea, and we have relayed that to the agent."

United accepted more than £15 million from Chelsea for Argentinian midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron in 2003, and although transfers between Old Trafford and Arsenal have been rare in recent seasons, the two clubs have in the past traded players in both directions.

Despite Heinze's slide down the pecking order last season as a result of the emergence of Patrice Evra at left back, Ferguson insisted: "Liverpool will not be getting Gabriel Heinze. We can put that to bed right now. We have had a couple of offers for him, and we have turned them down. Heinze's agents are rolling the ball all the time, but we are in the driving seat."

Claims that Heinze would invoke a new Fifa ruling enabling him to buy out the remaining two years of his contract have been dismissed by Gill, who said: "You can only use Fifa article 17 within 15 days of the end of the season, and you have to give notice within 15 days of the end of the league season."

United play the second game of their Far East tour today, against FC Seoul in the South Korean capital.

Eduardo da Silva made his debut for Arsenal last night but Robin Van Persie stole the show with two goals in the 3-0 friendly win over Turkish side Genclerbirligi. Theo Walcott was the other scorer.

Labels: Heinze