Chelsea know Manchester United are joining them in the battle for Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery.

The Daily Mail says the suggestion from Stamford Bridge last night was that the London club certainly expect their rivals to be involved.

Bayern have already indicated the 26-year-old is not for sale and it is thought that it will take an offer of around £65m for the Frenchman to be prised away. Another complication is that his wife is not thought to be keen on England and would rather her husband join Ronaldo in Madrid.

But what is certain is that United have the financial muscle to add to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's squad as he looks to minimise the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has had such a phenomenal impact at Old Trafford since he joined the club as an 18-year-old from Sporting Lisbon in August 2003.