Bayern name price for Hargreaves

Source: BBC SPORT

Bayern Munich will consider selling Owen Hargreaves to Manchester United - but not for less than £20m.

Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer told German newspaper "Bild" that if an offer of that size was tabled "we would have to think about it".

Beckenbauer added: "That is a figure that would allow us to be active in the transfer market."

Hargreaves has just been told that he is not ready to return to full training as he recovers from a broken leg.

The 25-year-old sustained the injury in a league match against Arminia Bielefeld in September and had hoped to return in January.

But he is now unlikely to be ready to play against Borussia Dortmund when the Bundesliga restarts after its winter break on 26 January.

Hargreaves had hoped to return to full training with his Bayern team-mates, who are on a training camp in Dubai.

However, tests on his leg revealed the healing process was not as advanced as previously predicted and he will instead only take part in light training.

Hargreaves has been repeatedly linked with United over recent months - with the player admitting he would relish a move to Old Trafford.

Bayern had previously stated that they would not sell a player who last season signed a contract to keep him at the club until 2010.

And Beckenbauer added: "It is normal to want to keep a player who has just extended his contract and who only wants to join another club because they will pay him better."

Hargreaves has always maintained that his desire to play in the Premiership is not motivated by money.

The England midfielder said: "It's about the opportunity to possibly play in another league I haven't played in before, which is also the country I represent and where my family lives.

"It's not like I'm saying I want to go to AC Milan or Inter Milan because they're offering me more money.

"It's because it's England and because Britain is where my family is. My parents and my brothers are in Canada, but the whole of my dad's side of the family is in Bolton and my mum's side is in Rhyl.

"I think some people don't realize that. They think I'm half-German or something, but I'm not. I was brought up by a British family. It just happened to be in Canada."