SOCCER: Alex Ferguson has been given the go-ahead to sign Michael Owen after the England striker bowed to the inevitable and accepted he has no future at Real Madrid.
Owen has effectively been relegated to fifth choice at the Bernabeu following the purchase over the weekend of the Brazilian pair Robinho and Julio Baptista. While Real will not transfer-list Owen, they will not stand in his way should he opt to leave and though they may test United's resolve by asking for £17 million, are likely to accept a fee of around £11 million, making a profit of £3 million on what they paid Liverpool last summer.
The scramble to bring him back to the Premiership will revolve around United, Arsenal and the 25-year-old's former club, Liverpool, though Old Trafford increasingly appears the most viable destination.
While United had not expected to make a major signing this summer after the arrival of Wayne Rooney last year, Malcolm Glazer's purchase of the club has increased their clout in the market.
The Glazers have ensured Ferguson has around £12 million available to add to his squad and, while he remains tempted to bid for the Germany midfielder Michael Ballack of Bayern Munich as a successor to Roy Keane, the manager is aware that Owen would fall just within his budget.
Indeed, Ferguson has experimented with Alan Smith in midfield during United's Asia tour, effectively freeing up another place for a striker to compete alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rooney and Louis Saha next season.
United's budget will not stretch to cover both Owen's and Ballack's signings, though the German is out of contract next summer and United may opt to wait until he is a free agent before signing him.
For Owen, the need to play regularly is paramount with next year's World Cup finals in mind. The prospect of becoming a virtually permanent substitute behind Ronaldo, Robinho, Baptista and Raul would prove intolerable.
Meanwhile, Bundesliga club Schalke 04 and Aston Villa will have to match Liverpool's £7 million valuation of Milan Baros if either is to sign the Czech international striker before the start of the season.
Baros's agent Pavel Paska has agreed personal terms for his client to move to Germany though Schalke currently lack the funds to complete a full transfer for the 23-year-old. They intend to open negotiations with Liverpool today aiming to take the forward on a 12-month loan with a view to signing him long term, though the European champions will not be pressured into accepting a cut-price offer.
"We have not yet spoken to Liverpool about the size of the fee but, ideally, we'd like to take Baros for a year on loan and, at the same time, secure an option to buy him permanently for next summer," said Schalke's general manager, Rudi Assauer.
"If we pull it off, this would be Schalke's biggest transfer of all time. We have agreed everything in terms of salary with Baros and his agent," added the German club's coach, Ralf Rangnick.
Baros was the subject of a £5 million bid from Aston Villa last month, though that offer was swiftly rejected by Liverpool. Rafael Benitez is intent upon recouping £7 million for the forward - almost twice as much as his predecessor, Gerard Houllier, paid Banik Ostrava in 2001 - in order to use the funds to reinforce his defensive ranks.
The Spaniard will also consider a move for Bolton's Greece international midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos should other options fail to materialise to fill the void on the right of midfield.
Liverpool's hopes of luring Real Madrid's Luis Figo to Anfield have faded in recent days, despite the Portuguese having failed as yet to agree personal terms on a three-year contract with Internazionale.
With Antonio Nunez sold to Celta Vigo, Benitez wants a right-sided midfielder before the new campaign and Giannakopoulos remains one of a number of options he is considering. The 31-year-old is currently in talks with Bolton over a new contract at the Reebok as he enters the final 12 months of his current deal.
"We don't want to lose him, but my chairman assures me Liverpool have not made a bid for him," said the Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce.
"I'd feel let down if he moved to Anfield. He's proved everyone wrong since he came back from Euro 2004, but if someone can bid so much money you can't resist it"
