Having completed the £16 million signing of Wigan Athletic forward Antonio Valencia yesterday, reports in the Times suggest Manchester United will continue to spend the £80 million garnered from Cristiano Ronaldo’s sale to Real Madrid by bringing Karim Benzema to Old Trafford.

The newspaper indicates the English Champions moved closer to a deal for the French international, beating the likes of Arsenal and Real Madrid to the highly coveted star.

Benzema’s teammate Miralem Pjanic claimed the player was on the verge of signing for United in a British record deal.

Pjanic said: “Benzema is nearly gone to Old Trafford,”

“The English club are willing to pay close to €45 million [about £38 million].”

United have seen Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo leave the club this summer, with the former expected to sign for neighbourly rivals Manchester City before the end of the week.