United close in on Di Maria, Ribery set for Real

Are Manchester United about to make a new bid to secure the services of Benfica's Angel di Maria? Yes, says the Daily Mail, which says that despite being rebuffed in December, the Reds are considering a fresh approach for the £20m-rated Argentine winger. Di Maria recently scored a hat-trick for Benfica in a 4-0 drubbing of lowly Leixoes. His timing was excellent as he was watched throughout by United's scouts. Unsurprisingly Alex Ferguson liked what he heard and the Mail says an offer will soon be on its way.

United also have their eye on another Benfica player, £15m rated defender David Luiz, but will face competition from Chelsea. Both Premier League teams have defensive concerns and see Luiz as a potential solution.

At Chelsea there is concern over John Terry's form and the former England skipper turns 30 this year. His usual defensive partner Ricardo Carvalho is almost 32, while Alex has suffered with injuries.

Over at United, Rio Ferdinand is struggling with a back problem and Nemanja Vidic's long term future is in doubt. Alex Ferguson has signed Fulham's Chris Smalling but would not be averse to bringing in more cover.

But United and Chelsea - along with Arsenal - look set to miss out on one of the biggest names in Europe. The Spanish daily AS reports that Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are poised to open negotiations over French winger Franck Ribery. The 26-year-old finally returned to action recently after a lengthy lay-off with a knee injury, and he scored the winner in the weekend's 1-0 defeat of Hamburg. According to AS, that display convinced Real Madrid that Ribery is back to his best and that the time is right for them to snap up the Frenchman.

Speculation was rife that he could be lured to the Premier League in a deal worth as much as £40m, but now it looks as if once again Real will get their man.

Remember Alexander Hleb? He is now so desperate to return to the Premier League he's used the Daily Mirror to make a rather pathetic plea to England's top flight clubs. The former Arsenal midfielder has put Manchester City and Aston Villa on alert, according to the paper, though would any club in their right mind take a gamble on Hleb the Homesick?

The 28-year-old midfielder infamously turned his back on the Gunners 18 months ago, recalls the Mirror, claiming he was homesick and did not like London. Hleb, from Belarus, then joined Barcelona on a £12m deal, but predicatibly was soon struck down by the Curse of the Ungrateful Gunner. Like Marc Overmars, Thierry Henry, Mathieu Flamini, Patrick Vieira and Jose-Antonio Reyes, his career went into a tailspin, so much so that six months later the Belarussian was moved to write to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger asking for another chance. But you only get one chance with Wenger in life (unless your name is Campbell), and the Arsenal boss handed Hleb's letter to the postman with instructions to return to sender.

The Mirror says that Barcelona, still under the illusion that they are going to lure Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas to the Nou Camp next season, are keen to offload Hleb and he has eyes set on England, despite a recent loan period with Stuttgart: "The chances for me to stay at Stuttgart next season are zero," Hleb whined to the Mirror. "Barcelona will decide my future and I am open to any option. But I have shown at Arsenal that I can play in England and enjoy the Premier League." The Mirror reports a Barcelona source as saying that Villa are interested while also admitting there has been interest from other English clubs.

In other news, the Mirror also says that Villa are among three clubs monitoring Wolves skipper Karl Henry. The midfield hardman has put in a string of good performances this season at Molineux – and still has three years left on his contract - but if Wolves get relegated the 27-year-old Henry will want to remain in the Premier League. His weekly wages certainly won't be a problem for any prospective employer – at just £15,000 a week, Henry is virtually living on the Premier League breadline. ·