Manchester United in fight to secure deal for Wesley Sneijder

David Gill is battling to keep alive United’s £35m swoop for Wesley Sneijder.

The Premier League champions have been trying to secure a deal for the Dutch World Cup star for the past week.

But Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday cast doubt over the move, attempting to quell speculation surrounding his interest in the Inter Milan player.

The finances of what would be a club record deal for United have made negotiations sensitive.

And with Inter this week insisting only a mega-money offer would convince them to sell, Gill has been working hard to land Ferguson’s top target.

United’s chief executive is understood to have met with Inter officials at a European Club Association summit in Zurich on Wednesday.

But there is also the issue of convincing Sneijder to lower his £200,000-a-week salary demands.

Sources in Holland have long-claimed the former Real Madrid playmaker is keen on a move to Old Trafford, while United have been heartened by suggestions he would be prepared to compromise on his wage expectations.

Gill stayed behind from United’s pre-season tour of the US to try to conclude a deal for the 27-year-old, who Ferguson believes is the ideal successor to the retired Paul Scholes.

Although Sneijder comes in above Ferguson’s self-imposed policy of not signing players over the age of 26, he believes the Holland international would thrive at United.

Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez was another target, but the Chile star insisted he would only leave Serie A for Barcelona. And Ferguson this week reluctantly accepted he would miss out on Arsenal’s Samir Nasri as well.

That left Sneijder – a player United have chased since last summer – as the standout target.

But speaking from United’s tour of the US, Ferguson attempted to pour cold water on his interest.

"The situation is that there is no real interest in Wesley Sneijder at this moment in time for a lot of reasons," he said. "There is nothing I can tell you about it. I have not really been involved in it since I came across here."

Ferguson has generally made it a policy not to comment on transfer speculation, with his remarks about Nasri this week bucking that trend.

He has admitted that he still hopes to find a successor for Scholes, despite already spending a combined £50m on Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David de Gea this summer.

United have also been linked with Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric who is also a target for Chelsea.

But Ferguson has reiterated the difficulty he faces in filling the void left by Scholes.

"It is a loss," he said. "Paul was a player of a lifetime. In his 20 years at the club, it is hard to pick out a bad game. He was such a consistent player for us.

"I don't think we will find another Paul Scholes. But hopefully we can replace him. Maybe we will find a different type of player.

"Obviously, there is a bit of work being done on that at the moment by our scouting department.

"But also we are analysing the capabilities of the young players from our youth team. We will give them that opportunity.

"Time and time again we have faced this problem. We have lost great players and you are worrying about it. But eventually something turns up, either through our youth system or we will identify someone."

Michael Owen: Manchester United positives outweigh bench time

Michael Owen has admitted the opportunity to remain with a top club took precedence over his desire to play every week when he was deciding whether to accept a new one-year contract at Manchester United.

It was anticipated Owen would leave Old Trafford this summer after his initial two-season deal expired.

After all, the former England striker made only 17 appearances last term and the majority of his stint at United involved being introduced from the bench.

With a major hamstring injury thrown in, it was difficult to see Sir Alex Ferguson concluding Owen had a future.

However, the first indication United would offer an extension came when the 31-year-old was handed a place on the bench ahead of Dimitar Berbatov for the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in May.

Although Owen was not called upon as Ferguson's team slipped to a dismal 3-1 defeat, it was the prelude to talks which led to a significant decision from the striker.

"You want the best of every world as a footballer,"

"You want to be playing at the best club - I'm at that - and you want to be training with the best players and under the best manager - I am certainly doing that.

"You want to play at the best stadiums and in big games and obviously it's near to where I live.

"There are lots of positives. The only slight negative is the amount I played last season.

"The option is there to go to a lesser club and play more often but I'd prefer to play in a top team with all the things that come with it."

In his post-season conversations with Ferguson, though, Owen was assured he will play a meaningful role in the quest for silverware.

He does acknowledge that was the case during his debut season, only for the hamstring curse to strike in the middle of a Carling Cup final triumph over Aston Villa at Wembley.

"The first season was great and had some great moments - scoring in the cup final and the goal against Manchester City, hat-trick in Wolfsburg," Owen added.

"Last year wasn't quite so good, but the manager has spoken to me and said I'll be firmly in his plans this season.

"He expects me to play a lot more."

Manchester United need 'mega-galactic' bid to land Wesley Sneijder

Manchester United will have to shatter their transfer record to land Wesley Sneijder.

That’s the warning from Inter Milan technical director Marco Branca, who insisted the Reds’ top target will only leave if the club receives a “mega galactic” offer.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who is tracking the Dutch superstar while on the club’s US tour, knows he will have to spend big to land a natural replacement for Paul Scholes.

His record remains £30.75m for Dimitar Berbatov, but that would go with Sneijder costing well in excess of £40m as he is under contract to the Italian giants until 2015.

Sneijder’s salary also needs to match Old Trafford’s top earners Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, who top £200,000-a-week.

With Fergie now saying Samir Nasri will leave Arsenal but not for United, and Tottenham’s Luka Modric Chelsea bound, Fergie is close to testing the water with a bid for Sneijder who was always his first choice.

Inter will, however, do their utmost to keep Sneijder. Branca said: “Sneijder is absolutely non-transferable. I signed his letter to be called up for pre-season training and our intention is not to sell any of our champions.

“However, if mega-galactic offers were to arrive, we would discuss them, but right now that is not the case.”

Sneijder, 27, joined Inter from Real Madrid in 2009 and helped the Nerazzurri to a treble of Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia in his first season.

Bring it on: Jonny Evans ready to battle with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones at Manchester United

Manchester United defender Jonny Evans believes he would not deserve to be at the club if he was not prepared to accept fresh competition for his place in Sir Alex Ferguson's plans.

Two seasons ago, the Northern Ireland international appeared a worthy successor to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

But the form Evans showed as a regular stand-in deserted him last term.

He was overtaken by new boy Chris Smalling and, despite the departures of Wes Brown and John O'Shea to Sunderland, now faces an additional threat following the big-money arrival of Phil Jones from Blackburn.

However, Evans is not fazed by the challenge.

Now 23, the Belfast-born player has been around long enough to know battles always have to be fought at a club the size of United.

"I have always thought that being at a club like Manchester United, if you can't accept a challenge of someone wanting your spot, you don't deserve to be here," he said ahead of tonight's United States tour opener against the New England Revolution in Boston.

"That is what Manchester United is all about. You are constantly being tested.

"It is down to you, whether you are good enough, or whether you are putting the effort in to play for the first team."

Evans was speaking at a Special Olympics event in Boston, organised in partnership with United's foundation and their main sponsors Aon.

It was the first in a series of initiatives during the course of their three-week tour aimed at using the Special Olympics to offer sporting activities for local youngsters suffering from learning disabilities.

Evans was an enthusiastic helper of the 31 kids involved, although his thoughts never strayed too far from next season, and the opportunity to wipe out memories of his side's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.

"That defeat will stick in the lads' heads," said Evans of the 3-1 reverse, when Barca produced a performance the equal of any from a club side in the history of the game.

"These lads have been so successful throughout their careers but they still remember defeats.

"I am sure they will have that at the back of their minds coming into the new season.

"Barcelona have set the standard. They have gone to another level.

"Maybe 10 years ago, when Manchester United went into Europe, there was a gap to bridge and we managed to do it.

"The challenge is there for us again. Hopefully we can get closer to them."

Evans' fellow defender Rio Ferdinand has, meanwhile, hailed Fergie’s £50m-worth of business already this summer.

Blackburn defender Jones, England forward Ashley Young and Spain Under-21 keeper David de Gea have all completed their moves to Old Trafford, making up for the retirement of Edwin van der Sar and the departures of John O’Shea and Wes Brown to Sunderland.

“It is just what the club needs,” said Ferdinand. “Three of our most experienced players have retired, so the manager has reinforced certain positions on the field.

“This club is always evolving. That is what has happened since I have been here. I was part of it.

“That is what you aim to do. It is not about your personal feelings. It is about the club becoming better and more stable and continuing the success we have had over the years.

“We have some very young players coming through the youth team already, so when the manager adds players of quality like Phil Jones, Ashley Young and David de Gea, it can only improve the squad, increase our longevity and continue our success.”

Evans: Challenge What United Is All About

Despite rumours linking him with a move away from the club, particularly after the arrival of defender Phil Jones, Jonny Evans has claimed he up for the challenge of working for his place in the team.

“I have always thought that being at a club like Manchester United, if you can’t accept a challenge of someone wanting your spot, you don’t deserve to be here,” he said. “That is what Manchester United is all about. You are constantly being tested. It is down to you, whether you are good enough, or whether you are putting the effort in to play for the first team.”

Man Utd v Prem All Stars: Pick your team

Rio Ferdinand suggested a Manchester United v Premier League All Star XI match on Tuesday, and Simon Wilkes invites you to pick your team. We're pretty hot on Twitter here at TEAMtalk Towers and follow a string of Premier League footballers as they tweet about their antics. So you can imagine our delight when Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand, a prolific 'Tweeter' with well over a million followers, came up with the idea of a 'League champions vs premierleagueallstarteam' match while on tour in the USA on Tuesday morning.

His throw-away suggestion was trending worldwide within hours and sparked a massive response among his many followers and fans. So we'd thought we'd join the debate, coming up with our own All Star team we feel could take on United before inviting you, our loyal army of readers, to do the same. To narrow the pool of options, you can only choose your starting XI from current Premier League players - and we're discounting stars unlikely to be playing in England's top tier next season, meaning Carlos Tevez is not available. We'll match United's 4-4-2 formation so ask you to do the same.

TEAMtalk's All Star Premier League XI: Goalkeeper: Pepe Reina. Joe Hart is unlucky not to get the number one jersey but we've plumped for consistency and experience.

 Defence: Branislav Ivanovic, Brede Hangeland, Vincent Kompany (c), Leighton Baines. Bacary Sagna pushed hard for the right-back slot but we've gone for Ivanovic's better physical presence and goal-scoring threat. Baines beats England star Ashley Cole to the left-back role after a fine season for the Toffees. And at centre-back we're pairing Manchester City's Player of the Season Kompany, who takes the armband for us, with giant defender Hangeland, with Robert Huth and John Terry narrowly missing out to the man who was the backbone of Fulham's eighth-placed finish.

Midfield: Jermaine Pennant, Jack Wilshere, Charlie Adam, Luka Modric. Samir Nasri, Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale were all pushing hard for inclusion in our midfield - but they all faded badly in the second half of the season so we've gone for men who delivered the goods time and again. Manchester City star Yaya Toure is unlucky to miss out following a fantastic debut season in England - but we want our boys to play the 'Holloway way' and entertain you, so he is overlooked on this occasion. It's Wilshere's job to stick the boot in and get the ball to midfield mate Adam, who will be given licence to spray the ball around for our front two and widemen Pennant and Modric. Pennant gets in ahead of Joey Barton to give us some width on the right flank, while Modric will be given the freedom to roam forward off the left in support of our strikers, who are...

Forwards: Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie. Suarez only arrived on the Premier League stage in January, but what an entrance he made, scoring on his debut against Stoke and going on to bewitch defenders up and down the land with his dazzling footwork, eye for goal and blistering turn of pace. Arsenal's season could and would have been a lot different if flying Dutchman van Persie had been fit for the full season - and his stunning goal-scoring record away from home and sweet left foot means he was one of the first names on our team sheet.

That's our selection, now choose yours through our 'add comment facility' and we might even pool a TEAMtalk Fans' XI and tweet it to Rio.