The British-record move will go through if Ferdinand agrees personal terms and passes a medical.

Leeds bought the England defender for �18m from West Ham in November 2000 and stand to make a profit of �12m.

"I'm not happy as a Leeds fan because I didn't want him to leave," said Ridsdale.

Instead, he and new manager Terry Venables have agreed a list of players to try and bring into the club within the next week.

"People need to look at how much we've invested in the last three or four years - we're hardly a selling club," said Ridsdale.

"The only player who has left (this year), subject to a medical and personal terms, is Rio - which puts us in a position to strengthen further.

"Terry knows how much he has to invest and he will do so in the next few days so we can have a real tilt at the title.

"Terry and I have agreed a list in the last few hours and I'll be working on bringing them in later in the week."

"If we can bring three or four in the next few days we should not be disappointed - plus we've got Lee back with us for no expenditure.

"Look at the squad we've got - and it'll be nice to see them compete without any distractions."