Former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov could not seal a return to the Premier League after Aston Villa could not match his wage demands.
The striker was available on a free transfer after being released by Monaco at the end of last season. He has been without a club throughout the summer, but Berbatov was not prepared to drop his wage demands in order to secure a move to Villa. Moving to the Premier League club would have given him the opportunity to be a first choice regular once again since Villa only recently sold Christian Benteke to Liverpool.
However, he has now secured a move to Greek outfit PAOK. At just 34 years of age, he still has the ability to play at the top level for a couple of years. His experience of the Premier league would have been especially useful for Villa in their fights against relegation. The club has been involved in a relegation fight over the last few seasons, but manager Tim Sherwood is determined to avoid a repeat of the same in the coming campaign. They have made a decent start to the season with wins against Bournemouthin the opening game of the campaign. Yet, the season promises to be a tough one nonetheless.
Despite signing the experienced striker,PAOK have made a poor start to the season. They remain winless after the two opening games. As a result, the club are just a few places above the relegation zone. Manager Igor Tudor will be hoping that the presence of Berbatov will motivate the club to better results in the coming future. The 34-year-old is yet to make his debut for the club but it is likely to come after the international break. The Bulgarian striker once cost United a club record of £ 30 million.