In news that will please Manchester United fans, it seems that Real Madrid have drawn up a few targets to add to their central defensive options for next season.

Real Madrid tickets

Rumours about Nemanja Vidic being wanted by the Spanish club have been rife for almost 12 months but now other names are being mentioned in his stead.

The latest to join the list is AC Milan defender Thiago Silva who Real Madrid feel they can get for rather less than Vidic especially as he failed to get on the field during the World Cup – as an unused squad member for Brazil – thus not inflating his value.

But if Los Merengues boss Jose Mourinho they think they’ll be getting him on the cheap they have another thing coming as, according to the player’s agent, “just his arm is worth 10 million euros.”

Another option for the Bernabeu club is Bruno Alves of FC Porto.

Alves has been linked with a move to Chelsea since the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge as manager last summer but with no concrete offer having been tabled by the Londoners, Madrid are keen to sneak in and hijack the deal.

The cheapest, yet not unlikeliest, option is for the ‘Special One’ to stick to what he knows best by signing Ricardo Carvalho.

Mourinho has history with his countryman having won every trophy in sight together at Porto before joining forces once again to take the Premier League by storm with Chelsea.

At 32 years of age, his signing would be a short term view but with the trasfer fee likely to be nominal at best, Real Madrid could save a potentially huge transfer fee for their favourite pursuit of buying yet more outrageously gifted attackers.

With Vidic likely to cost in excess of £20m, the Serbian may well be staying at Old Trafford – that’s if his wife lets him.