Manchester United : Saha's Inevitable Departure To Be Followed By Striker Hunt!

Roma's interest in Louis Saha will see Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson step up his search for a new striker.

The Reds manager has made it clear that his top priority this summer is to boost the forward line of his Premier League and Champions League winners.

And offloading Saha in a potential £7m deal will only aid his hunt.

Long before the Cristiano Ronaldo saga took centre stage, Ferguson identified the need to add a target man to the more mobile figures of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez after finally losing patience with the injury-prone Saha.

A stumbling block was finding a club willing to match the wages of the France international, who still has two years left on his contract.

But Roma look ready to give him the chance to resurrect his career in Serie A, and are sounding out a possible move.

The Italian side are also interested in a £3m deal for Mikael Silvestre, who has been told he is free to leave Old Trafford.

Ferguson has been alerted to the availability of Samuel Eto'o after Barcelona announced that the Cameroon striker is surplus to requirements - but Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov remains high on United's wanted list.

After failing to land the Bulgarian last summer, Ferguson's intent to partner him with Rooney and Tevez has not diminished.

A striker with height and presence, who is also capable of moments of magic, he would seem to perfectly fit United's requirements as a contrast to what they already have.

Ferguson's well-known admiration of Berbatov has not stopped him considering other targets - Lyon's Karim Benzema and Klaas Jan Huntelaar of Ajax to name two.

But both appear to be out of reach with Lyon insisting Benzema is not for sale at any price, while Huntelaar has said that Real Madrid is his preferred destination.

Sevilla's Luis Fabiano is another option, and would be cheaper than Berbatov, who would cost in the region of £25m. But Ferguson is conscious of the fact that the Spurs hit man has already proven himself in the Premier League.

The main concern over Berbatov would be whether he would be willing to fit into United's rotation policy.

That could prove a redundant point, however, if Real are successful in their attempt to lure Ronaldo to the Bernabeu.

In that instance Berbatov would be a natural option to play at the head of a three-pronged attack including Rooney and Tevez.

Saha admitted at the end of last season that he might have played his last game for the club after signing from Fulham for £12.8m in 2004. In that time the 29-year-old has only made 52 league starts following a spate of injuries.

United have also shown interest in Dutch midfielder,Rafael Van der Vaart.

It has so far been a quiet summer for United, in complete contrast to last year when the signings of Nani and Anderson were swiftly made.
Ferguson has already missed out on Cardiff's teen sensation Aaron Ramsey to Arsenal, as well as Argentine prospect Pablo Piatti, who opted for Spanish side Almeria instead.

United have, though, secured the signing of the "new Francesco Totti", ironically from Roma.

Striker, Davide Petrucci, is seen as one of Italy's brightest young talents and was picked up for just £200,000.

As for Ronaldo,it is believed a host of Manchester United players including Rio Ferdinand,Ryan Giggs,Paul Scholes,Patrice Evra and Micheal Carrick have bombarded the Portuguese winger with messages and calls in a bid to convince him to stay with Manchester United.

Phew! There you have it,All the news surrounding Manchester United in one article!