Viera Transfer?

It has been reported that Manchester United are on the verge of tabling an £8million bid for Juventus midfielder Patrick Viera, who could be part of a mass player exodus from the Turin club following the club's relegation from Serie A for its part in the Italian match-fixing scandal. Sir Alex Ferguson made an audacious bid to lure the Frenchman away from Highbury when Viera was at his peak with Arsenal, to no avail. Viera's powers appeared to be on the wain when he left Highbury for Juve last summer. However, his performances for France in the World Cup Finals in Germany have left the United hierarchy confident that the thirty-year-old is capable of mixing in in the Premiership. The Red Devil's are badly in need of a dominant figure in the middle of the park. Roy Keane's departure has left a massive void which the likes of Alan Smith and Darren Fletcher are nowhere near good enough to fill, with all due respect. With the continued speculation surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's future, Ferguson will be desperate to add strength to his midfield ranks, which looks decidedly threadbare compared to that of Chelsea and Liverpool. He will face competition from Milan, Roma and Valencia for Viera's signature. United have also been in talks with Atletico Madrid regarding £25million striker Fernando Torres. With Ruud van Nistelrooy looking increasingly likely to be plying his trade at the Bernabeu next season, Ferguson will have funds at his disposal to augment his strikeforce, and a Rooney-Torres combination would be good enough to rival that of any other club. Real Madrid appear close to capturing Dutch international van Nistelrooy for a figure reported to be in the region of £15million.