Who is going to get the scoop?
Louis van Gaal put it up to the media in San Jose, last night, when he claimed they/we were clueless as to the identity of the striker he wanted to bring into Manchester United.
Journalists are often portrayed as a lolling, feckless bunch but, find us on the right day, and we love a challenge.
To that end, every newspaper, gossip column, radio station, website and broadcaster will attempt to draw up a list that would assemble Jimmy McNulty’s meticulous suspects board in The Wire.
Here are some of the lesser linked candidates that should now find their names connected to an Old Trafford move:
Cristiano Ronaldo, Edin Dzeko, Mauro Icardi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Lacazette, Romelu Lukaku, Didier Drogba, Antoine Griezmann, Charlie Austin, Saido Berahino, Gonzalo Higuain and Simon Cox.
Take your pick.
Germany’s Sport 1 TV, however, insist that Thomas Müller will be brought in by United for a princely sum of €100m. The forward’s agent has long agitated for either a move or greater wages. We suspect the latter is most likely.
Apparently, Liverpool were in for Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus and had €45m to spend. If so, and it was a serious bid being mulled, the club did well to keep that under wraps.
Regardless, Liverpool Echo report that Real Madrid will get Reus into the Bernabeu before the beginning of La Liga.
Jose Mourinho believes Everton defender John Stones is up for grabs because the Merseyside club did not forcefully reject Chelsea’s €25m offer.
Daily Mail say Chelsea will come back with a €32m offer but Everton are, according to The Guardian, holding out for closer to €40m.
In the world of other strikers not linked with United, Norwich City want 33-year-old Rickie Lambert (The Sun) while Crystal Palace will sort a loan deal for Chelsea’s Patrick Bamford.
And, now that they have Francis Coquelin, Arsenal will let Mathieu Flamini go, to Galatasaray, for €4m (Evening Standard).
