United have finally captured Owen Hargreaves after months of tracking the Bayern Munich midfielder. Here, we look at the moments that mattered during the prolonged transfer saga...

11 Aug 2006: The Daily Mirror reports Hargreaves has emerged as "a shock £7million target". The paper says Sir Alex was impressed with the midfielder's World Cup performances.

15 Aug: Hargreaves comments for the first time in what papers describe as a "come and get me" plea. "In football, anything is possible and the transfer deadline isn't until 31 August. English teams have seen what I can offer."

16 Aug: He tells German sport magazine Bild that United have tabled a "fantastic offer". A Bayern spokesman says: "Owen is staying for the remainder of his four-year contract."

17 Aug: Roman Grill, Hargreaves' agent, says the player wants to hold talks with Bayern. "The time has come to evaluate where he is in his career," Grill says. "Owen sees [United's offer] as an excellent opportunity."

18 Aug: United go public for the first time and confirm interest in Hargreaves. "We're hopeful," Sir Alex says ahead of United's opening Premiership match. "We've been trying to negotiate with Bayern for quite a while now."

20 Aug: Hargreaves is left out of the Bayern squad as the German team win 2-1 at Bochum. General Manager Uli Hoeness says United can have the England international… for £34million.

21 Aug: Hargreaves continues to express his desire to move to United but