MANCHESTER UNITED TRANSFER RUMOURS: Hazard, Strootman, Alba, Nani, Diame Involved In Latest Speculation

After fighting tooth and nail for the Premier League title, Manchester United and Manchester City have headed straight into a battle for arguably Europe's most coveted young player, Eden Hazard.

Speculation has been flying back and forth for weeks about the Lille attacking midfielder's next destination. As if to tease his potential suitors, Hazard had previously suggested he was City bound before reopening the door for United in the past few days.

And now Lille has said that they will hold talks with both Manchester clubs next week, following the final game of the Ligue 1 season, according to BBC Sport.

The side certain to finish third in France's top division has accepted that that the 21-year-old will leave this summer and are eager to maximize their return.

There also looks set to be imminent news on another purported United target in the coming days. Valencia's Jordi Alba has been linked to the club in the past and it has now been claimed that the left-back has already been sold by Los Che.

The strong suggestion was dropped by former Valencia boss Unai Emery, who left the club at the end of the season.

Valencia is a team that buys players who are not the finished article and then, when they are finished, possibly sells them on, as has happened with Jordi Alba, Emery said, according to Goal.com.

Barcelona and Milan have also been linked with the 23-year-old Spanish international, who Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly views as as a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra.

Ferguson is also known to be eager to reinforce his central midfield options this summer. One name mentioned as a potential target in that area of the pitch is PSV Eindhoven's young anchorman Kevin Strootman. The 22-year-old has been likened to Dutch international Mark van Bommel and thus it is perhaps no surprise that he is also being strongly linked with Italian giants Milan.

Van Bommel recently departed the Rossoneri and the tough-tackling 35-year-old has since signed a one-year-deal with PSV. With TalkSport reporting that Milan are set to enter talks for Strootman, the veteran and heir-apparent could be doing an effective swap.

It has also been speculated that United was taking a hard look at Wigan midfielder Mohamed Diame to fill the void in defensive midfield However, according to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils elected against a move for the Senegalese international after becoming concerned about his heart condition.

Wigan has reportedly kept a defibrillator close to the touchline at their games since Diame joined the club in 2009, as a precaution. The 24-year-old's contract at the DW Stadium expires this summer, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa also said to be interested.

According to the Daily Mail there may also be a big name leaving Old Trafford this summer. The paper reports that the club is making provisions should negotiations break down on an extension to Portuguese winger Nani's contract.

The 25-year-old's deal is currently set to expire in two years' time. And, with Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young already alternatives to Nani in the United squad and the club also pushing hard to sign Eden Hazard, Ferguson may be willing to entertain offers from the likes of Atletico Madrid and Juventus.