Selling your best player in his prime to get better!!!

I know the soccer transfer market is completely different to every other sport, and I certainly don't want to see ManU get better, grrrrrr, but damn this seems like an amazing move to pull off and get much better. Sell what many would say is there best player, captain and england captain with 3 years left on his contract and then spend the money on at least 2 young studs (more like 4 or 5) who are great at beating their player with the ball,

If they pull this off the premier league is just a battle for second and anything but victory in the Champions League will be a disappoinment

Fergie's wild about our Harry
By Matt Dickinson, The Times
June 06, 2003

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Alex Ferguson has set his sights on Harry Kewell as he orchestrates one of the biggest international transfer deals in English history.

Concerned Arsenal have made a formal approach to the Socceroo, United are poised to contact Leeds in the next few days.

Signing Kewell hinges on United off-loading David Beckham, a move which looks certain to happen by the end of the month.

Ferguson could purchase up to five players, including Kewell and Paris Saint Germain's Brazil international Ronaldinho, on the proceeds of the expected £30 million ($73.9m) generated by selling Beckham.

This would enable Ferguson to set up a midfield from Kewell, Ronaldhino, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Roy Keane, Juan Sebastian Veron and Paul Scholes to feed premier striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Kewell is at the centre of Ferguson's wheeling and dealing, which has left no doubt the United manager is desperate to make up for a season in which the club performed below expectations in Europe.

The Australian was tight-lipped about his future during a promotional visit to Sydney yesterday but admitted in Melbourne on Wednesday that it is his ambition to play for a bigger club.

Italian giants AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid and England's Big Three – United, Arsenal and Liverpool – are all eyeing him off.

In Australia for two weeks to catch up with family and friends, a relaxed Kewell seemed oblivious to the fuss.

"As far as I am concerned, I still have one year to go on my contract with Leeds," Kewell told a large gathering of more than 800 excited fans who lined up to catch a glimpse of him in Sydney.

He was so relaxed he even asked the fans who he should play for next season. Calls of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Leeds and Arsenal rang out, bringing a huge smile to Kewell's face.

The ideal scenario for United is a bidding war between Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan for Beckham and there are encouraging signs that could happen. No official offers have been tabled, but as soon as one of the European giants makes their move, there is an expectation at Old Traf ford that the others will follow.

The catalyst could be Barcelona's presidential elections on June 15, particularly if the race is won by Joan Laporta, who has put the purchase of Beckham at the top of his manifesto.

This week, Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon hinted the club had talked with Barcelona about Beckham. "I don't want to confirm anything," Kenyon said. "But given that it has come out in Spain, I don't think you would look stupid writing it."

Real Madrid's interest is long-standing and based on football abilities and business strategy. Emboldened by their sixth European Cup triumph, Inter Milan have joined the contest. One difficulty is Beckham's sponsorship deal with Vodafone, which would clash with Milan's club contracts with Telecom Italia Mobile and Siemens.

While Beckham's new home is open to speculation, there is no doubt about United's intention to sell their most valuable asset. The relationship between Beckham and Ferguson is almost irreparable.

The sale of Beckham fits in with Ferguson's transfer strategy, which he revealed after the defeat by Real Madrid in the European Cup quarter-finals.

"What was the difference between the two teams?" he asked. "They had players who could beat men in important areas. Everywhere."

Beckham brings a wonderful range of passing, a peerless ability from set-pieces and, when in the right condition, an extraordinary athleticism, but he does not beat opponents. Ronaldinho and Kewell do.