They can't all be joining, surely?

Paul Robinson (Leeds United)

The 23-year-old has barely completed his first full season as a number one choice keeper yet seems to be the first choice of both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson as replacement for their current incumbent custodian.

Big but very agile and a great shot-stopper, the Yorkshireman seems set to be the latest big-name exit from Elland Road as they seek to service their £80m debt mountain.

Julien Escude (Rennes)

The Frenchman, brother of tennis star Nicolas, could have been manning the left-back spot for United already. However, an offer of £1.5m was nowhere near enough to tempt Rennes in the January transfer window and an untimely knee injury sustained while walking his dog put paid to a dream move.

A star of the France Under-21 team at last summer's European championships, Escude is believed to still be a target for Ferguson to fill the left-back role vacated by the shift to centre-back of Mikael Silvestre, another Rennes graduate though the emergence of John O'Shea may yet turn the Scot's attention elsewhere.

Nicolas Burdisso (Boca Juniors)

The 22-year-old Argentinian impressed United at last summer's UNICEF fund-raising friendly between the two clubs. One of Argentina's most sought after talents, and expected to be Javier Zanetti's successor for the national team, Burdisso is a skilled defender with a typically hard edge.

United's enquiries for him ended in August when Boca placed a £7m price-tag on him. The Reds were only willing to go to £4m then but the continuing cash crisis in Argentina and Gary Neville's injury problems may see another, lower and more successful bid.

Daniel Van Buyten (Marseille)

The Belgian is one of Europe's most sought after defenders. Six foot five yet very comfortable on the ball, Van Buyten has prospered in the French League after a move from Standard Liege where his power and aerial ability have seen him regarded as the best defender in Ligue 1.

Has the class to become a midfielder in the Patrick Vieira mould though Ferguson may see 'Big Dan', the son of a professional wrestler, as the commanding stopper his team lacked in the European Cup exit to Real Madrid.

Phillipe Mexes (Auxerre)

A long-time target for Sir Alex, even to the degree where a 17-year-old Mexes was sent a United shirt with his name and number 5 on the back, the 21-year-old is already on the fringes of the French national team.

Glittering displays in Auxerre's Champions League run further added to a reputation as the successor to Laurent Blanc that has been his tag for a long time already.

Quick and composed but also dogged in the tackle, Mexes may find himself in an auction by Europe's top clubs.

With United being the richest around and Ferguson having a close friendship with Auxerre figurehead Guy Roux, he may yet end up at Old Trafford.

Damien Duff (Blackburn Rovers)

The Irishman has followed a truly excellent World Cup with a consistent season once post-Japan/Korea fatigue subsided. Perhaps the only left-winger who can hold a candle to an in-form Ryan Giggs, Duff was heavily rumoured to be the man to replace the Welshman.

And admissions from Rovers chief John Williams that Blackburn would cash in on their prime asset added to that.

However, Giggs' resurgence and the possible cut-price availability of Harry Kewell could see him end up at Liverpool, a team truly crying out for a winger of Duff's class.

Geremi (Middlesbrough/Real Madrid)

The Cameroon international has been an on-loan revelation for Middlesbrough yet the North East club seem unlikely to hold on to him.

Out of the picture at Real due to the galaxy of stars (and Steve McManaman) that populate the Bernabeu midfield, he is said to be a target for an impressed Fergie, perhaps tipped the wink by old oppo Steve McLaren.

The £9m price-tag seems excessive in these depressed times and it seems doubtful that Ferguson would enjoy the inferiority complex gained by signing a Real reserve. But if the fabled Beckham to Madrid deal goes off, chances are players will be coming the other way. Geremi, a right-sided midfielder, looks to fit the bill.

Ricardo Quaresma (Sporting Lisbon)

The latest 'new Luis Figo', the 19-year-old possesses a mesmeric dribbling skill and pace that has been the hallmark of Figo, his predecessor at Sporting.

Already powerful enough for the rigours of the big leagues, Fergie right-hand man Carlos Quieroz is a true admirer and may be able to use his contacts as leading Portuguese coach to secure the signature of one of Europe's hottest properties.

Ronaldinho (Paris Saint-Germain)

David Seaman may well be wincing at the prospect of the man who looks like Dwight Yorke in a frightwig appearing on these shores.

A star of Korea-Japan and junior partner in Brazil's fabled 'Three R's', 'Gaucho' may well be the ideal playmaker to further add to Ruud van Nistelrooy's goal deluge. He has been in great form for PSG after a couple of fall-outs with club bosses - par for the course with the buck-toothed one - and his cash-strapped club need money badly.

However, Italy seems a more likely destination and a labryinthine contract situation may see United shy away from him. The question of having Veron and him in the same team seems pertinent too.

Jermain Defoe (West Ham United)

Along with Robinson, the only Englishman mentioned in despatches, Defoe may arrive at Old Trafford by virtue of a West Ham clear-out following relegation, though there are rumours of a pre-contract deal having already been agreed between the clubs.

Quicksilver in the box with an eye for a killer pass, the 20-year-old has been forced to carry the Hammers' striking burden for much of the season with his co-strikers hit by injury or sulking.

Despite playing in a woeful side he has kept up a reasonable strike rate and seems set for a role with England in the near future.

Possibly available at a cut-price, Ferguson may well snap West Ham's hand off.

Nihat Kahveci (Real Sociedad)

Once the enfant terrible of Turkish soccer but now one of Europe's most envied striking talents, he was brought to Spain by John Toshack and this season has seen him form a deadly partnership with Darko Kovacevic at Liga-chasing Sociedad.

Pacy and inventive - and left-footed - he could complement Van Nistelrooy and interchange with Giggs to further galvanise United's attack and whispers suggest his representatives met with Old Trafford officials ahead of England's clash with Turkey in April.

Subs:

Markus Neumayr (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Reports suggest that the 17-year-old may already be a Manchester United player in all but name.

A midfield tyro compared in one quarter to Lothar Matthaeus, though Fergie may well be hoping he does not possess the same attitude, and by his club's youth co-ordinator to Tomas Rosicky and Andy Moeller, he had a succesful trial at Carrington in October after impressing at an Under-17 tournament.

If all goes to plan he can become United's first ever German player.

David Bellion (Sunderland)

Another victim of the closure of the transfer window, Bellion's January move to Old Trafford collapses amidst recriminations from the Black Cats of tight-fistedness and 'tapping-up'.

But with his contract set to expire, Bellion will be available under a price set by tribunal under new European laws for players under 24.

Possessing the pace that United have lacked in attack, Bellion is still very raw, though he remains the only Sunderland player to have scored in living memory.

Harry Kewell (Leeds United)

The Australian is one of those players that Leeds look likely to be forced to sell with his contract set to expire in summer of 2004. Therefore a price far less than the Elland Road club could have commanded previously is likely to see him move.

Another answer to the potential and eventual replacement of Ryan Giggs, Kewell has definite pedigree in the Premiership and has ambitions in European football. His ability to play as a support striker may also be attractive.

His resurgence in recent weeks may have alerted other clubs and Liverpool, like with Duff, may compete for his signature.

An added attraction is that his marriage to Emmerdale actress Sheree Murphy could always replace Posh and Becks as a celebrity couple. Well, maybe not.

Simon Davies (Tottenham Hotspur)

Another player heavily mooted in the January speculation spree, the Welshman had been heavily touted as the Beckham successor on the right wing. Rumours of Spurs turning down an £8m bid abounded with little substance and he began February as a Tottenham player, swiftly getting lost in the White Hart Lane malaise.

Ferguson's head may have been turned elsewhere but the player's performances in a Wales shirt and last year's early-season form may yet see a bid come in. Spurs need desperately to rebuild and may have to cash in one of their biggest assets.

Rustu Recber (Fenerbahce)

In a World Cup dominated by goalkeepers, Rustu was one of the very best and he further added to his reputation with a great showing for Turkey in the Euro 2004 qualifier at the Stadium of Light.

However, the war-painted shot-stopper has had a torrid season at struggling Fenerbahce and his free agent status may see him a target for several other clubs, with Arsenal again a rival for his services.

Perhaps mindful of his problems with Barthez and other assorted foreign keepers, Ferguson seems likely to prefer Paul Robinson.