MANCHESTER United are poised to make a �16million swoop for Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano after missing out on Karim Benzema. (Daily Mirror) Benzema's �32m move to Real Madrid meant United chief Sir Alex Ferguson had to rethink his targets to replace outgoing Carlos Tevez.

MANCHESTER United are poised to make a �16million swoop for Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano after missing out on Karim Benzema. (Daily Mirror)

Benzema's �32m move to Real Madrid meant United chief Sir Alex Ferguson had to rethink his targets to replace outgoing Carlos Tevez.

And Sevilla hitman Fabiano, top scorer with five goals in Brazil's Confederations Cup triumph last month, is the new name in the frame - although United will have to see off AC Milan to land him.

The San Siro side have made an opening �13m bid even though his release clause values the 28-year-old at �55m.

Milan believe Fabiano, who has scored 47 goals in 105 games for Sevilla since joining them from Porto in 2005, is ready to leave Spain for a new challenge.

But United, with �64m still in the bank after recruiting Wigan's Antonio Valencia to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, have the financial firepower to outbid the Italian giants.

Fabiano has formed a lethal partnership with former Spurs and West Ham striker Frederic Kanoute at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium while his international record now stands at 22 goals in just 31 appearances.

United chief Fergie is determined to land a top-class striker to help Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov fill the goalscoring void left by Ronaldo's departure and initial contact has already been made with Sevilla.

The Old Trafford outfit believe they can see off Milan by making a concerted effort to land the Brazilian - which could see the San Siro side turn to England striker Peter Crouch.

Milan noted Crouch's performance against them in the UEFA Cup last term and while he did not initially feature on their target list, that has now changed.

The Serie A giants, who accept that Wolfsburg's Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko is staying in Germany for one more season, have been put off by Emmanuel Adebayor's demands for a salary of �4m per season after tax, making Crouch a viable alternative.

Portsmouth would be unlikely to stand in Crouch's way if a bid of �12m materialised which would give the giant striker a great opportunity to prove his credentials to England coach Fabio Capello.