Real Deal - Vidic the bait for Benzema?

As a Manchester United fan it gets pretty boring reading the continued bile that gets printed regarding the transfer merry-go-round. I used to take a huge interest in it. As a teenager i would buy the tabloids daily and scour through the back pages trying to absorb all the gossip.

Well not anymore. Yeah I cruise NewsNow everyday, but its all very casual.

The main topic of Unitedness comings and goings at moment is our seemingly hen-pecked centre back..the man that has a taste for murder if you listen to the songs at Old Trafford, but doesn't wear the trousers at home..they belong to the sun-kissed loving wife. Yep, I'm talking about Nemanja Vidic of course.

Vidic and Evra were both signed in almost a covert manner when they signed for the team in a January transfer window. None of us knew who they were...not really. And with their first few performances, they looked no better than squad players. Forward six months, they had both settled and started to look like real players.

In those early months nobody could really have predicted what Vidic would become...and that's the ideal foil and partner for our thirty million pound lynch-pin Rio Ferdinand. It has been obvious to see that the success of United over the past four years has not only been fed by the brilliance of Rooney and Ronaldo, but also from the impenetrable wall that these two provided the side. As a team we were always about the motto "if you score 3 we'll score 4" The advent of Vidic and Rio changed all that.

This year has been the toughest for both centre-backs. Rio's injuries have been well documented, and the combination of a lack of games and iffy form have been rewarded with the England captain's armband (?!). However, there is still an air of mystery around what is pushing the buttons of the Serb. Whether you believe the stories of Mrs Vidic knocking the big boy for six as she craves the Spanish WAG high life of Posh's former stomping ground, or whether you believe its because Vida and Ronnie used to room together, and at night used to cuddle and talk about their dreams of wearing the white shirt made famous by Steve McManaman...well it matters not.

Vidic's form has been sketchy at best this year. The mysterious nerve injury has left him missing in action, and its clear that the Boss is not pleased by all this..his red nose has told a thousand stories when asked about the player. But honestly i would not be that unhappy if he left. I think he has been a rock for us, but with the emergence of Jonny Evans, and now the signing of the promising Fulham lad Smalling, I think we are prepared to go our separate ways with Him. I still feel that Rio is the most important player in the central pairing. He is the one with the intelligence that dictates all of United's positional play. He is often the one that plays the telling pass into the midfield danger areas...not Vidic. I'm not being blase about Vida. He is great. But there is a deal to be done, and this is it:

Real have suddenly got a sniff of Mr David Villa again. No one understands why he didn't join in the summer. He wanted to go there..they wanted him..Valencia were and still are flat broke..deal done. But a tearful Villa couldn't explain why it fell through, so once again Madrid decided to step on our toes and hijack the £35 million offer we had made for Karim Benzema..and of course..the rest is history. Well after six months it seems that the Frenchman's 8 goals and 3 assists have not made him very popular with the money-men at the Bernabeu (imagine if they had Berbatov!), and now they want the Spanish prodigal son in their side..especially as Raul has finally decided to cut lose and play in America next season..and yep who do you think they want in their Number 7 shirt? Villa is built to succeed Raul, as he already has for the international side.

So it begs the question 'How soon before Real do a Huntelaar on Benzema?'

They want Vidic. Fergie wants Benzema. I can smell a deal.

Whatever you or I think Vidic is worth, or how much Real would actually pay, its the perfect opportunity to strike a trade that would be beneficial for both sides. I think we would have to pay some extra cash on top, but chucking in one of the worlds top rated defenders would make the exchange more palatable. I'm confident that United have a talented enough defensive line already, but Fergie will have targets already in his sights..Palermo defender Simon Kjaer being the latest one on our radar..Vidic mark two. Benzema would be a fantastic addition to the front-line. Michael Owen will be put out to pasture come June as Fergie has shown he has zero interest in him after a good old look. He is young, athletic and powerful, with excellent feet and an eye for goal.

Rooney and Benzema up top? Yes..I'm already sold on the idea.