Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to offer £20 million for Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The Sun says Ferguson had his eye on the Dutchman before he joined the La Liga side from Ajax in January.

But Huntelaar, 25, has struggled to make an impact after scoring 113 goals in 136 games in Holland.

He failed to make Real's Champions League squad.

And he has fallen further down the pecking order following the arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.

Now Fergie, who had the player scouted all last year, is ready to make a new bid to land him after losing out on Benzema.

United will have to match the £20m Madrid paid for the hitman.

An Old Trafford source said: "Huntelaar is somebody we have known about for a good while. There was more than a passing interest last time out."