Wonderkid swoop talk surfaces...

It's another quiet news day folks with it being an international weekend, so it comes as no surprise that The Sun is doing a spot of transfer kite flying with United supposedly set to splash out £7m for Patizan Belgrade's 17-year-old striker Stevan Jovetic. The Montenegro international has scored six goals for his club side this season.

Here's a question, supposing for one moment that this story is actually true, how come United always have to pay over the odds when signing players? Compare and contrast with Wegner at Arsenal, earlier this week he was linked with signing a brilliant young Spanish player, but the fee will reportedly be only £700,000.

Wenger is not only a brilliant manager, he's also an economist, he is the Gunners equivalent of a tight-fisted chancellor who spends club money like he'd no doubt spend his own - like a miser. Without his prudent buying and selling of players, it has been said by Peter Hill-Wood the Arsenal big-wig that Arsenal wouldn't have moved to the Emirates Stadium.

Strikers will always come at a premium price, but I cannot help feel that United's reputation precedes them when it comes to acting daft with the cheque book.

Transfer whirlwhind analysed...

The events on the United transfer front over the last 24 hours must have left many a Red scratching their collective heads in wonderment, because United rarely do things quickly and silently as was the case with Anderson and Nani. The deals aren't signed and sealed just yet, so I guess we have to be a bit cautious that something might go wrong, but the very fact that United felt confident enough to make the announcement last night on the clubs official website suggests both players will become United players in short order.

It's fairly obvious that Anderson has been earmarked to be Paul Scholes long term replacement, and according to reports from various pundits who know all about the player the Red's have captured the very heart-beat of Brazil's future engine room.

Then we have Nani, who it appears could have been brought in to replace Giggs, was it purely a coincidence that Giggsy announced his international retirment this week? Did the Welsh wizard think 'hang on, I will have to really pull my tripe out to get a game now?'...

Today the club also announced that the Owen Hargreaves deal is as good as done too. Personally I think this deal is the most important of the three, because I believe the England midfielder will be key to the Red's future and there wont be any issues about the weather etc, whereas there's always that danger that Anderson may struggle to adjust to Manchester aka the rainy city.

It really is a mouth watering prospect having so much talent coming to the club.

For now though us Red's will have to be contented with what has been a great piece of business, because it is so unusual for United to get our deals done early in the summer transfer window. All too often we've been left scrambling for any piece of information on possible new signings, and sometimes as with Ronaldinho we were left high and dry.

The intruiging thing now is what happens next? Because the Red's have already committed to over £30m of new talent and we still need to sign at least one new striker. United will I believe almost certainly offload a fair few players, I'm thinking of Richardson, Heinze, Saha and possibly Smith. IF that happens the reds might be lucky to recoup around £17m - which might then be used to sign another striker.

One player who I personally do not want to see being sold is Johnny Evans, I understand that Sunderland are desperate to retain him and I fear a bid could be in the offing...

United summer transfer update...

...so then yesterday it was being reported by the Manchester Evening News that today the Red's would complete the long awaited signing of Owen Hargreaves, 24 hours later and the deal isn't going through and reports now suggest that the deal will be completed next week, when the player returns from his holiday in Canada.

I have to say this news of the delay concerns me slightly as I, and am certain many other United fans, would have liked to have seen this particular transfer saga wrapped up, but now we shall have to wait and see if and when the deal does go through... There is always that slight fear that another club could come in and clinch a deal at the death, as was the case with Mikel, Essien and Robben, who of course were all snatched from United by Chelsea.

You wonder why exactly the Hargreaves deal has stalled for a week.. could it be something to do with the fee, or even personal terms? Whatever it is the fans will want this deal concluded ASAP.

Another player in the news is Gabriel Heinze, who we are told is so desperate to leave that he could invoke new FIFA transfer rules and buy-out his owen contract which would leave him free to choose his next club, the popular Argentine is being linked to clubs in Italy and Spain.

Regarding the search for new strikers, the Red Devils have once again been tentatively linked to Klaas Jan Huntelaar of Ajax, this lad is hot property and there's no way United will have it their own way if indeed Ajax agree to sell the player.

So the search for new strikers goes on and to that end United have been dealt a blow concerning their ambitions to sign Bulgarian hit-man Dimitar Berbatov because it is being reported that he will pen a new deal shortly, thus dashing hopes of him playing for United next season..

I for one believe that the Red's will sign two new strikers plus Owen Hargreaves. However, if things do not go well regarding striker targets, there must be a chance that Saha will be retained and then if that happens United may sign just one new striker and the England midfield star.

I will of course be keeping you up to date with all the latest news and transfer gossip over the next few weeks while the summer window is open for business.