Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has revealed Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was reluctant to join Leeds United.

In his column for The Sun, Redknapp, discussing Arsenal's dilemma over Barcelona's pursuit of Cesc Fabregas, recalled having to sell Ferdinand to Leeds while in charge of West Ham United.

He said: "We couldn't manage it with Rio at West Ham, even though we didn't want to sell and he didn't want to go!

"Yet that one was all based around financial reasons, and I remember the chairman telling me that we'd had an £18million offer from Leeds, which the club was going to take.

"Myself and Frank Lampard snr got Rio in, and he wasn't keen on it. I told him he would be the best defender in Europe, it was the wrong move for him and, if he hung around, Manchester United would be in within a year or two.

"But the club felt £18m was too much to turn down because those kind of fees wouldn't be around for too long.

"Too bloody right! He'd not been at Elland Road for long when United did come in and he ended up going for £30m."