Quaresma may be Beckham's successor

As reports last night suggested that David Beckham is actively pursuing a transfer from Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson closed in on a potential successor to the England captain. United are hoping to complete a £10m deal for the highly rated Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma, with talks planned next week with his club, Sporting Lisbon.

Beckham's future was thrown into doubt by his relegation to the bench for Wednesday night's Champions' League defeat by Real Madrid. It was reported last night that within hours of the final whistle he had told his agent to seek a move.

The defeat by Real seems certain to lead to changes at Old Trafford and Quaresma may be the first arrival as Ferguson looks for an injection of youth. The brilliant youngster, who can play on either wing, destroyed England's Under-21s last month.

United have been in talks for months with Sporting who were looking for £16m, but that valuation has come down to £10m as the club have had a poor season and may miss out on the Champions' League next season.

United will also sign the French forward, David Bellion, from Sunderland once his contract expires. A deal is set up for the pacy attacker although the price may be settled by tribunal. Unlike Quaresma, Bellion is expected to be a squad man.

The Bolton manager, Sam Allardyce, has made a £700,000 bid to Lyon for the French centre-half, Florent Laville, who has been on loan at the Reebok where he played a major role in Bolton's push for safety. However, he has attracted interest from other Premiership sides.

Shaun Goater will leave Manchester City in the summer. The 33-year-old Bermudan has earned hero status in his six-year stint at Maine Road, during which time he has scored over a hundred goals. However, his appearances have become increasingly rare since the arrival of Robbie Fowler.

The Liverpool defender, Stéphane Henchoz, will not play again this season, his manager, Gérard Houllier, said yesterday. The Swiss international had calf surgery early last month.

The Blackburn Rovers manager, Graeme Souness, is close to signing the Rangers captain, Lorenzo Amoruso, for £1.5m, and the Glasgow club is likely to replace him with Dundee's 21-year-old Georgian defender, Zurab Khizanishvili.