With Danny Welbeck set to return to Manchester United following his loan spell with Sunderland and Michael Owen having signed a new contract, rumours have been rife about Dimitar Berbatov’s future.

Earlier in the week, there were claims that the club had agreed a deal with PSG for the Bulgarian, although these have since been refuted.

The player’s agent, Agent Emil Danchev, claims talks are needed with David Gill, with Berbatov keen to extend his current deal which has just 12 months remaining. “We’ll know more after we have talks with United, but Berbatov wants to stay and to keep winning trophies.”

Berbatov was the Premier League’s top scorer last season, although there are suggestions that United aren’t keen to offer him another big contract after he lost his place in the starting XI to Javier Hernandez.

Earlier in the season, Berbatov claimed he would rather quit football than leave Manchester United.

“I fought to have a chance to play for United and now I can only go down if I leave,” he said. “Why I should do this? It would be better to retire.”

With Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur also interested in signing him, it’s hard to believe Berba would actually quit football if not offered a new deal by United.

Sir Alex Ferguson has repeatedly shown his lack of faith in the Bulgarian when it comes to big games, with the biggest snub coming when he was omitted from the squad which faced Barcelona in the Champions League final. It looked as though there would be no going back for him then, although admirably, the player took the manager’s decision on the chin and again reaffirmed his loyalty to the club.

With Wayne Rooney’s predictable annual injury, as well as the less than consistent fitness of Owen and Welbeck, United could find themselves in trouble during the season if they don’t extend Berbatov’s deal.

The other option would be to let him see out his contract, although after spending £30m on his four years earlier, the club would be reluctant to allow him to leave on a free.