The Republik of Mancunia website has responded to the most remarkable bit of transfer news this summer with an article titled ‘God No, Not Michael Owen’. F365 makes the case for why United signing Michael Owen would be a really good idea…

* United require another attacker. To start the season with just two youngsters as support two recognised top-class strikers would be a risk too far. In comparison, signing Michael Owen on a free transfer is no risk at all. A proven goalscorer who is presumably joining United in the knowledge that he will start the season behind Wayne Rooney and Dimi Berbatov in the pecking order, Owen is the perfect fit for what United require.

Not incidentally, it was mostly from the bench that Owen scored his 13 La Liga goals during his single season at Real Madrid, ending the campaign with the league’s highest ratio of goals scored to number of minutes played.

* Signing the 5ft 8 Owen would balance United’s attacking options. Berbatov, Danny Welbeck and Macheda are all big ‘uns while Rooney is the only little ‘un. True enough, Owen and Rooney failed to dovetail convincingly on England duty but that potential problem may be irrelevant: Ferguson probably has no intention of playing them together.

* If it is true that he has agreed a pay-as-you-play deal with a series of performance-related bonuses attached then Owen has passed the first, pivotal test. With Everton reputedly ready to offer him a far-superior weekly wage of £65,000, Owen’s willingness to accept the incentivised deal on offer at Old Trafford indicates that he still has the required ambition and hunger to succeed.

Furthermore, Owen has not only proved himself to the club’s manager but also made his transfer a risk-free venture for the board to approve. Nor can the club’s owners dissent: By joining on a Bosman free on knock-down wages, Owen’s arrival would not conflict with the reported age limit of 25 imposed on new purchases.

* If those performance-related clauses aren’t incentive enough, then the proximity of next summer’s World Cup should be sufficient to a player who has lost part of his name. England’s Michael Owen will be desperate to reclaim his place and his recall will only be possible if he makes a success of his first year at Old Trafford.

* Ahh, yes, the injuries. Don’t you think that Sir Alex might be aware of them as well, though? Before signing, Owen will first have to sign a medical that is being universally described as ’stringent’. That should help allay a few of the doubts. Moreover, it is not as if Owen’s body is fundamentally broken; he is not in recovery from a career-threatening knee injury or leg break. Instead, his career has been blighted in recent years by a series of annoying, inconvenient happenstance injuries - he missed the start of last season, for instance, with the mumps. And if there is one medical department in the world that is likely to put him on the road to recovery then it is in residence at Old Trafford.

* There are few more potent goalscorers in world football, never mind England. Even at Newcastle he continued to be prolific: the stat his critics fail to include when remarking disdainfully that he only started 58 league games for Newcastle is that he also managed to score 26 goals in that time.

* And that was when playing for a struggling team, sometimes in midfield, and as a poacher.

The retort to the argument that Owen’s pace has gone is that it was going even before he joined Real Madrid and it is precisely because Owen has morphed into a penalty-box predator that he is such a viable acquisition for a leading club. In a side near the bottom of the table, a predator is a luxury because he has so little to feed on. In a side challenging for the title, as United inevitably will be, he is in his element.

* A former European Footballer of the Year with the experience of playing for Real Madrid, Liverpool and England, Owen will not be overawed by the pressure of playing for United. And as a native of the north-west, he’ll have no problems settling in either.

* United have previously enjoyed bountiful success by signing strikers at the finale of their career - and the precedent set by Henrik Larsson and Teddy Sheringham will undoubtedly have been an encouragement to Sir Alex.

* The arrival of an Englishman will also be useful if FIFA succeed in bringing forward their plan to introduce a ’six plus five’ quota.

* Owen loves the horses. In other words, he’ll be the perfect companion for Sir Alex on the team bus.

* Liverpool fans are going to hate it if he joins United. Especially as the Law of Returning Players means he is absolutely guaranteed to score against them next season.

Pete Gill

Empoli full-back Alberto Massacci claims he is on his way to Manchester United after talks with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The 16-year-old has still to make his Empoli debut but is regarded as a genuine talent and long-term prospect for the English champions.

United have been criticised in the past for signing young Italian talent before they can be secured to contracts by their respective clubs, as was the case with Federico Macheda and Giuseppe Rossi.

Massacci, if reports are to be believed, has already had a medical with United and is to fly over to Manchester on Sunday to thrash out the finer details of the deal.

“When Sir Alex Ferguson rang me up, I couldn’t believe it,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I had an hour-long conversation with him, in English. He seemed a humble person and nobody from the club made the pressure of an historic side weigh on my shoulders.

“In life a chance like this only comes past you once, so you’ve got to grab it with both hands. It isn’t an easy decision aged 16 to leave home, family and friends, but I don’t want to have regrets.”

Real Madrid-bound striker Karim Benzema has revealed he turned down the chance to join Manchester United and a host of European giants.

The France international was thought to be high on Sir Alex Ferguson’s wanted list following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

However, despite being heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford it was big-spending Real Madrid who agreed a fee with Lyon for the 21-year-old’s services.

Benzema has confirmed he could have joined the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona, Internazionale or AC Milan, but only wanted to play alongside the likes of Kaka and Ronaldo at El Santiago Bernabeu.

“When I started to play football I had a lot of dreams. The first was to become professional footballer. The second to play in French team. The third was to wear the Real Madrid shirt.

“I am both sad and happy. Happy to join the greatest club in the world, and sad to leave my club, my friends, and all the education staff. I own everything to Lyon.

“Indeed, I could have joined Manchester United, Barcelona, Internazionale or AC Milan, but Real are unique. Everyone is dreaming to play at Real.

“I really wanted to stay at Lyon until the next World Cup. The opportunity to play with stars like Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and so many great players, made me change my mind.”

Benzema, who is now relishing the prospect of making his debut for the Spanish giants, says the visit of Florentino Perez to his house played a major role in his decision to join.

“Real are a kid’s dream. Florentino Perez came to my house at Bron. That was important,” he continued. “He can speak French and I understood he absolutely wanted me. I could only leave for Real. It was my dream, that’s all.

“I am eager to be at the training-sessions, wear that shirt, and play the first league match. I know I will join a new world.

“Why shouldn’t I play each match? I want to make a name for my-self as quickly as possible.”