That apart, Argentine striker Carlos Tevez prepares to leave Old Trafford following notions that manager Alex Ferguson erred in signing Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur despite his impressive performance. ‘El Apache’ also revealed his unhappiness following being left out of the starting line-up for the Champions League final against FC Barcelona and looks set to seal a deal with current big spenders Manchester City.

Thus, without the services of Ronaldo and Tevez, the line-up for the Red Devils will appear considerably weakened despite having England international Wayne Rooney and the aforementioned Berbatov.

Rumors currently abound that the replacement for Ronaldo will be 23-year-old Ecuadorian winger Luis Antonio Valencia of Wigan Athletic for £17.5 million. French striker Karim Benzema, who currently plays for Olympique Lyonnais is also linked with United (among other European giants like Real Madrid and Arsenal) £30million. Other Frenchmen in the news are Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich for £63million and Mamadou Sakho, a French Under-21 defender, who plays for Paris St Germain for £12million.

Massive players linked also include Spanish star striker David Villa of Valencia CF, Argentine forward Sergio Aguero of Athletico Madrid with the club ready to offer a massive £52million, Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic from AS Roma and Brazilian forward Luis Fabiano of Sevilla FC.

The transfer of Benzema looks unlikely owing to the striker quoting that he fears that if his switch to United failed in terms of performance, he would be unable to deliver for his country at the FIFA World Cup. Moreover, Man Utd also face stiff competition in this regard from Real Madrid, Arsenal and, as per rumors, even Chelsea. Word is also afloat that Ribery, Villa and Benzema would prefer to be linked with Real Madrid.

The situation looks quite forboding at Old Trafford with the imminent exits of two great players. Will Ferguson be able to sign in the players he requires before the transfer window closes?

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