Alex Ferguson, having all but concluded a £9 million deal to make PSV Eindhoven's Jaap Stam the most expensive defender in history, has now trained his sights on the versatile Argentinian Ariel Ortega.
Despite having to live with the tag of "the new Maradona", the 24-year-old Ortega has, of late, blossomed into a player of the highest quality and is now much coveted in Europe.
Ortega, who scored a brilliant individual goal in Argentina's 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Wednesday evening, currently plays for Valencia but his summer departure is considered inevitable.
Manchester United's interest in a player valued at £7 million is perfectly understandable as the manager shapes to address the problem of how best to improve his senior squad.
The player at the top of Ferguson's most wanted list, Juventus's Italian international striker Alessandro Del Piero, is the one he is unlikely to land.
Juventus recently valued Del Piero at £25 million , a deliberately prohibited figure which, in essence, is designed to curtail speculation about where his future will lie.
United are not the only major footballing force to have singled out Ortega as a possible saviour in waiting.
Several of Italy's leading clubs, most notably Roma and Internazionale, are believed to have had representatives in Dublin in midweek when the young inside-forward departed from Lansdowne Road clutching the Man of the Match award.
Having been given the go-ahead to spend upwards of £17 million before the start of next season by the normally conservative plc arm of his club, Ferguson seems determined to make hay while the sun shines.
Stam will complete his move to Old Trafford once the financial details of what is a complex transfer have been finalised. Ferguson is also known to be considering making offers for two midfielders at the French club Lens - the £3 million-rated Cameroon international Marc-Viven Foe and the £2 million-rated Frenchman Frederic Dehu.
Meanwhile, Roy Keane is waiting to be given the all-clear to play again. The Manchester United midfielder is hoping to hear from the two surgeons who performed the operation on his right knee in November.
He has been out of action since snapping his cruciate ligament at Leeds in September and admits he has endured seven months of "hell" and is now desperate to squeeze in competitive matches before the end of the season.
"I am confident but not over confident that the specialist will allow me to play again," he said. "I am not building my hopes up but I would be disappointed if I was told to hold back for another couple of months. I feel ready but if they say I should leave playing until pre-season then I'll understand." Keane, missed by United as their season has fallen away, added: "I have been training with the reserves and first team for the last six weeks. It was non-contact at first but then the specialist said I could start tackling again.
"There have been challenges but the lads have been going easy on me and tackling in training isn't like it is in proper matches."
Keane says he is hoping to play in either a reserve or A team game before the end of the season but fixtures are running out.
The first team have three matches left and if Keane has his way he could figure in one of those. Ironically the last home game for United is against Leeds on Bank Holiday Monday, May 4th and it would be a real twist of fate if he found himself facing them again.
"To be honest it has been so long I am now desperate for a game. The last few months have dragged but I'm getting there."
"I think hell is the right word but when I get back from this nightmare I will certainly appreciate playing more. You do take things for granted when you are playing. You love the game but I love it even more now."
Keane hopes to learn the news in the next 24 hours and will tell Alex Ferguson when he returns from a trip to Scotland.
