Sir Alex Ferguson has assured Manchester United's marketing chiefs he can deliver a superstar to offset the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

The Sunday Express says armed with the £80 million windfall from Ronaldo's move, Ferguson is ready to go for the biggest names in Europe.

The United manager will pursue what could turn out to be more realistic targets - Lyon's French striker Karim Benzema, Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o, Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero, Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery and Valencia's David Silva.