The international football transfer market has been heating up over the past few weeks and is set to boil over in the next month before the start of regular season play, particularly amongst clubs in the English Premier League.
From teams near the top of the table like Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, to other clubs looking to climb up a wrung or two on the ladder, like Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa, just about everyone has had a hand in the footie gossip column recently in pursuit of Manchester United.
United haven't exactly stood pat either, as Sir Alex Ferguson has been busy combing through the market in search of more assistance to keep his squad atop the leader board in pursuit of a record 20th Premiership crown.
The biggest move to actually come through for Man U thus far has been the £18 million addition of keeper David De Gea, a 20-year-old Spaniard who came up through the ranks with Atletico Madrid of Spain's La Liga and is half the age of the man he will be replacing, Edwin van der Sar.
The biggest rumor? How about the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently indulged in a bit of self-speculation when asked if he would ever consider playing in the United Kingdom again, saying he was tempted to join Manchester City when they offered him wages of £350,000 per week but will likely remain with Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid until they bring a few more trophies back to Bernabeu.

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Ferguson has been in hot pursuit of a number of international footballers, including Udinese's Alexis Sanchez, though the Chilean right winger seems bound instead for Barcelona of Spain's La Liga despite a club-record £35 million offer for his services.
At this point, though, most of United's realistic options, at least the ones mentioned in the rumor mill, already play in the Premiership. First and foremost of those options is Arsenal's Samir Nasri, who is all but certain to request a transfer from Emirates after declining a new deal with the Gunners and watching fellow stars Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas ship off to Manchester City and Barcelona, respectively.
Nasri, who is also coveted by City and Chelsea, appears to favor Old Trafford as a potential new home and will likely hear an offer from Ferguson as soon as Nasri makes his wishes known to Arsene Wenger.
If Nasri falls through, Man U might instead opt for Tottenham's Luka Modric, who figures to fetch around £45 million in transfer fees before he sets foot outside White Hart Lane.
On the flip side, United will have to fend off overtures for striker Dimitar Berbatov, who fell out of favor with Ferguson in the midst of last season and was replaced by Javier Hernandez, and defender John O'Shea, who's been hearing from Arsenal of late.
All told, none of this really spells doom and gloom, or even pomp and circumstance, for a club that just won its 19th Premiership title, was the runner-up in the UEFA Champions League and still has plenty of talent and experience under the guidance of one of football's all-time greatest managers, to once again stand proudly atop the mountain of association football and proclaim the Red Devils as one of the finest clubs the sport has to offer.