MANCHESTER UNITED TRANSFER RUMOURS: Van Persie, Lucas Moura, Baines and Eriksen on Ferguson's Radar

According to the Mail, United's chief scout, Jim Lawlor, has been sent out to complete a £25 million deal, with club secretary John Alexander also ready to fly out. United are said to be eager to complete a deal before the attacking midfielder takes part in a pre-Olympic friendly for Brazil against Great Britain next week.

Competition for the 19-year-old Sao Paulo star could be fierce, however. When queried, president of Inter, Massimo Moratti said that club are making progress in their attempts to sign Lucas.

Yes, we have, but the progress that has been made is to see whether or not there is a chance [to buy the player], he said, according to the Press Association.

Now we have to see if we can manage to carry it out. These are things that have to take place by putting everything together, which also means taking a look at our revenue.

In recent days, Sao Paulo vice president Joao Paulo de Jesus Lopes poured scorn on Inter's interest, however, suggesting it was a move merely to appease fans.

In his latest revelations, Lopes stated that the only offers received had been from United and Real Madrid.

I can say that we have not yet received any official offer from Inter for Lucas, nor have we received any information about any proposal from them, he said, according to ESPN Star Sports.

With regards to the offers from Manchester United and Real Madrid, we are studying them internally. We cannot say anything else for obvious reasons.

According to the Mirror, United's other transfer priority is Everton's Leighton Baines. Ferguson is believed to view the 27-year-old left-back as a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra. United, though, are said to be unwilling to pay the close to £20 million the Merseysiders are asking for the England international.

Given the outlay it would require and Baines' age, if he does arrive, it is hard to envisage a future for United stalwart Evra at Old Trafford.

Both the Mail and Mirror also allege that United are still very much interested in Arsenal's want-away forward Robin van Persie. Facing competition from mega-rich Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, the chances of United pulling off a major coup by signing the Dutchman look extremely remote.

Perhaps most unlikely of all is the claim from Dutch website Sport1.nl that United are in talks with Ajax over Danish star Christian Eriksen. While it is no secret that Eriksen has his admirers at Old Trafford, having signed Shinji Kagawa, it is difficult to see a need for fellow attacking midfielder Eriksen.

It is possible that the 20-year-old could be moved into a deeper playmaking role, but any deal would represent a significant surprise after Eriksen stated his desire to continue his development in Amsterdam for the time being.