Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is laying the groundwork for a bid for Karim Benzema. The Mirror says Ferguson has made discreet enquiries about signing Real Madrid misfit Benzema.
And the Manchester United boss will follow up with a £25million bid if he gets the slightest encouragement from the Spanish side.
Ferguson wants a striker as back up for Wayne Rooney, but has consistently refused to get involved in bidding for players he believes "don't offer value at the moment".
He was desperate to sign French forward Benzema last summer, but missed out when he declined the meet his club Lyon's astronomical asking price of £35million.
Instead, the young star went to Real Madrid, but struggled badly to make an impact at the Bernabeu, and now United are hoping they can cash in at a more realistic price.
Benzema struggled to get in the Madrid side, and ended the campaign with just nine goals after being dumped onto the bench for almost three quarters of Real's matches.
