Real Madrid subsequently accepted first an £11 million bid from Middlesbrough and then a £12 million bid for McManaman from Chelsea that included the exchange of Tore André Flo, in the summer of 2000, both of which the player rejected. A Sky Sports report in August 2000 also stated that eight other clubs were vying for his signature at the time, including Manchester United, Parma and Fiorentina. Sir Alex Ferguson declared his admiration for McManaman by arranging a contingent to convince him to sign. McManaman, however, said he wanted to succeed in Spain. His stance was rewarded when Real relented after a Spanish poll in "El Mundo" showed 90% of the fans wanted the club to keep McManaman, while Míchel Salgado complained to the management about the way McManaman was treated after McManaman turned down again another transfer attempt, this time to Lazio, who came in with an £8 million offer. In September of that year, several Real Madrid first-team stars were reported as having taken up a dressing room revolt collectively for McManaman and went to speak to Del Bosque directly. "The Guardian" reported that a "Marca" article had one prominent player stating: "We cannot stand by while this is happening. What happened to Redondo happened - well in the end Fernando had a good offer - but McManaman, what has Macca done to deserve the treatment he is getting from the manager?...has been treated with disrespect and is being humiliated - for no reason at all."