Sir Alex Ferguson returns to Carrington this week knowing for once his own transfer dealings threaten to be overshadowed by the blue half of Manchester.

The most significant event of Ferguson's annual three-week break in the south of France was sanctioning the £80million sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

A contingency plan would have been drawn up, which Franck Ribery was supposedly part of if statements that came out of Bayern Munich were to be believed.

However, it is by no means certain Ribery will leave Munich this summer, still less so that Old Trafford will be his eventual destination.

Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness is insistent the club will not budge on their refusal to sell Franck Ribery.

“Did you ever think that we would give in?” he asked. “Have we ever shown signs of weakening? Franck will be on our training field on July 1.”

A move for Wigan's Antonio Valencia was always likely to meet with more success and the final touches are now being put to a deal that will set United back around £16million.

However, Valencia might struggle to come anywhere near his prowess in front of goal, a factor emphasised at the JJB Stadium last month when the Ecuador flyer missed a sitter in the defeat to United.

The loss of Carlos Tevez presents an additional problem, even if the Argentina ace was not worth the money United were being asked to spend to secure his services on a permanent basis.