Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov fled his native Bulgaria with his girlfriend and daughter after crime bosses threatened to kidnap the pair, it was claimed today.

The striker is believed to have evacuated his loved ones from Sofia on a private charter plane provided by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Local mafia dons had contacted Berbatov's mother, Margarita, 10 days ago to tell her that the family was in danger if the £30million footballer did not pay a £500,000 protection fee.

He refused to go to police over the threat to his girlfriend Elena and new baby, Dea, after underworld sources told him that officials from Bulgaria's Internal Affairs Ministry were also in on the plot.

Instead, the star is believed to have negotiated a deal directly with the clan bosses who agreed to leave his family alone.

Elena had returned to Sofia from Manchester to give birth on October 15th and had remained in the city to be close to family and friends.

Berbatov has a horror of gang crime since he was kidnapped by a mob boss as a rising young star in his homeland.

He was snatched from outside the training ground of the local team he was playing for, CSKA-Sofia, and taken on a terrifying ride to meet the country's most feared gangster, Georgi Iliev.

The mobster, later gunned down by a rival, wanted Berbatov, then a rising 18-year-old star, to sign for his own club, FC Levski Kjustendil.

He was only saved when his father managed to negotiate a settlement with a local mob boss.

'Dimi is still very worried for his family and has promised his neighbours money if they notice any suspicious people around his house,' a family friend was quoted in Bulgarian press as saying.

A Manchester United spokesman could not verify the story to the Daily Mail.

It is also claimed that security had been increased around Berbatov's England home - however the spokesman said they would not comment on security issues.