Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed Manchester United have made a bid for wantaway Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie.
It was reported earlier, United, City and Juventus had come forward with official bids in the range of £15 million ($23.5 million) on Friday, leading to suggestions the English Premier League's leading scorer would not travel with the Gunners for their pre-season tour of Asia.
"Obviously Arsenal have given out the fact that we've made a bid for him," Ferguson told MUTV ahead of their pre-season match against Ajax Cape town in South Africa.
"We try to keep business as close as possible to us until the moment we conclude a deal. There's no point talking about something that might not happen.
"There are other clubs interested in the player. We've shown an interest and that's where we're at, at the moment."
Pressed on the subject, Ferguson refused to add anything more. "We try and do business before we announce anything," he said.
"That is what we are going to do. There is nothing more to add."
Despite Ferguson's assertion, Arsenal have in fact not made any comment on the current situation with Van Persie, with the club expected to announce whether the Dutchman will travel with the club or not later on Saturday.
Ferguson likes the looks of a Van Persie-Wayne Rooney partnership up top, where both players are capable of constantly switching to the second striker's role, creating a potential nightmare for rival defenders.
However, with Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck doing well, it can be questioned whether United require Van Persie in their line-up, despite the former Feyenoord man's obvious class.
United were short on midfielders last season, forcing them to call Paul Scholes back from retirement, and even though Scholes has extended his stay by one more year, it would seem a midfield reinforcement would be more pertinent than buying a striker.
With the Glazers reluctant to hand out too much money on transfers, much to the chagrin of the United faithful, it remains to be seen if Ferguson will be willing to take part in what appears to be the start of a bidding war for the services of Robin Van Persie, with Arsenal expecting well over £20 million ($31.2 million) for their player.
According to widespread reports, despite already buying Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, the Gunners are targeting Athletic Bilbao and Spain international striker Fernando Llorente, if Van Persie indeed leaves the club.
