Manchester United have made a shock £63 MILLION offer for Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery. The Guardian says sources in Munich confirmed the bid has been received for the France international, who has made his desire to leave Germany known in the past few weeks. United scouts have repeatedly watched the 26-year-old in recent Bundesliga matches and sounded out his friends and entourage in Munich.

United's remarkable offer, which comfortably eclipses the record £44m paid by Real Madrid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001, is contingent on the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Madrid this summer but the approach to Bayern has been firm enough to suggest that the Portuguese's departure is a near certainty.

Although Bayern are understood to have turned down United's offer, it is considered the first serious move in a negotiation that will eventually bring the winger to Old Trafford.

It is understood that Bayern have rejected Ferguson's first offer but, with the Germans no longer insisting on a prohibitive €150m valuation - "We would perhaps let him go for that," Bayern supremo Hoeness was quoted as saying in January - negotiations between the clubs are sufficiently advanced to suggest an agreement can be reached before the player goes on holiday in June.