Last January: Adem Ljajic, Zoran Tosic (Partisan Belgrade, Combined, rising to £16.3m), Ritchie De Laet (Stoke, £3m).
Total spent: £19.9M.
Position Dec 31, 2008: 3rd.
Position end season: 1st.
Needs: Sir Alex Ferguson tends to do his big-name shopping in the summer but he has been linked with Napoli’s Slovakian international midfielder Marek Hamsik, who would cost around £20m. A goalkeeper appears to be priority but United have been told CSKA Moscow want £25m for stopper Igor Akinfeev. They are also vying with Arsenal for Cardiff’s teenage defender Adam Matthews, for £5m.
