Man Utd set sights on Karim Benzema

Manchester United has completed their first signing of the summer, snapping up Wigan Athletic's Luis Antonio Valencia for £16m, and are no gunning for Lyon's French international Karim Benzema. Sir Alex Ferguson still has more £60m left in his transfer kitty from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, so should be able to outbid any rivals - who may include the Spanish spendthrifts - in their pursuit of the 21-year-old striker. It is thought Lyon could push for as much as £38m for their prime asset, according to the Daily Mail...

Confusion still reigns over where Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o will ply his trade next season. Some reports this week have suggested that the Barcelona hitman is happy to stay at the Camp Nou and was on the verge of signing a new deal there, snubbing Manchester City's £25m offer. But the 28-year-old's agent hit out at the Catalan giants yesterday, saying: "'If Barca don't want him they should say so, so we can pursue the player's future in a professional manner. If they have a serious offer from Manchester City, and if they want to continue with this negotiation, I don't have a problem dealing with the English club"...

Carlo Ancelotti's attempt to lure the recently retired AC Milan great Paolo Maldini to join the coaching staff at Chelsea has ended in failure after the 41-year-old chose instead to take some time out of the game, the Times reveals. Maldini's 24-year career with the San Siro team saw him win seven scudettos and five Champion League finals, and Ancelotti had been keen to bring some familiar faces onto his coaching staff at Stamford Bridge, but was unable to persuade his one-time charge to join him...

Premier League new boys Burnley broke their club record to snap up Steven Fletcher from Hibernian, reports Sky Sports News. The Clarets spent £3m on the Scottish international, who had also attracted the attention of Wolves and Celtic. It was a productive day for Burnley boss Owen Coyle, who also signed defender Tyrone Mears from Derby. The 22-year-old Fletcher said: When the chance arrived to come to the Premier League and play for a club like Burnley, I was glad they accepted that and let me come down"... ·