Dimitar Berbatov may don Kerala Blasters colours in ISL

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Bengaluru, August 12: Kerala Blasters may rope in former Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season.

Discussions in this regard with the Bulgarian are in the closing stages and an official announcement could be made by next week.

The 36-year-old does not have a contract at present after Greek club Panthessalonikios terminated his contract on a mutual agreement.

Berbatov was reportedly in talks with Bengaluru FC, Delhi Dynamos and Amar Tomar Kolkata (ATK) before Blasters entered the fray. The Kerala outfit, the sources, said has advantage in the presence of head coach Rene Meulensteen.

It is understood that the Blasters' management is holding discussions with Berbatov under the guidance of Meulensteen. Meulensteen's relation with Berbatov dates back the duo's stint at the Manchester United.

In Sir Alex Fergusson's team, Meulensteen was a skill development coach. Berbatov has also played for European giants such as Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkuson and Monaco.

If the deal materialise, then Berbatov could be the fourth recruit for the Kerala outfit after Ghana's Courage Pekuson, Nemanja Lakic-Pesic of Serbia and Iain Hume, who returned to Blasters from Kolkata.

Berbatov joined United in 2008 from Tottenham and won two English Premier League titles with the club and also emerged top-scorer of the league in the 2010-11 season. For Bulgaria, he has scored 48 goals from 78 balls, highest in the country's history.