‘I almost joined Sunderland,’ says Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov has revealed that he came close to returning to the Premier League and joining Sunderland earlier this season.

The 36-year-old former Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham striker, who scored 122 goals across 305 appearances in English football, has been a free agent since leaving Greek outfit PAOK at the end of last term.

Berbatov, who won the Premier League title twice at Old Trafford, as well as the League Cup, which he also lifted with Spurs, says that he spoke to the Black Cats about a potential move to the Stadium of Light in January but that initial conversation was never followed up.

“I want to play and to be honest, I had a conversation with a couple of managers, even the Sunderland one, but in the end, nothing happened,” said the Bulgarian frontman.

“You know when you play for a long time, and I’m still in good shape. I stay in good shape and I’m looking to keep playing.

“Yeah, of course (I wanted to play for Sunderland).

“At that stage in my life, it’s all about football.

“To play a little bit more – one more game, one more year – enjoy my teammates, the football, the fans, the pitch; but as I say, in the end, nothing came of it.

“It is what it is.”