Edwin van der Sar has become the first signing of the Malcolm Glazer era at Manchester United and the club's chief executive David Gill was in Holland last night to make the South Korean international Park Ji-sung the second.
Van der Sar, the 34-year-old Dutch international goalkeeper, has signed a two-year deal at Old Trafford after agreeing a move of around £1.5m from Fulham and, if everything goes according to plan, Park will sign for around £3m from the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder has impressed Sir Alex Ferguson with his performances in the Champions League this season, most notably against Milan in the semi-finals.
Van der Sar will go straight into the first team as a replacement for Roy Carroll, who was released after coming to the end of his contract last week. Ferguson wants the vastly experienced Dutchman to act as a mentor for Tim Howard, with the American international viewed as the long-term option.
Fulham have wasted little time in signing a replacement, finalising a pre-contract agreement with Jaroslav Drobny, a 25-year-old Czech who will arrive from the Greek side Panionios. Gill, meanwhile, spent the day in Holland where he had dinner with Van der Sar and then spoke to Park's representatives.
United are confident the deal is close to being finalised but the matter is complicated because their relationship with PSV has badly deteriorated over the last two years. Arjen Robben opted to join Chelsea in preference to a move to Old Trafford last year.
Glazer has pledged around £20m in transfer funds this summer but he will be aware, too, that an extensive recruitment programme will do little to repel the various support ers' groups opposing his takeover. The American multi-millionaire has not only employed round-the-clock security guards but called the police about a helicopter that was hovering over his Florida mansion, apparently believing there could be a sniper on board.
The Palm Beach Post in Tampa Bay reported that Glazer provided the police with the helicopter's fuselage number which was later tracked down to a neighbour.
"We weren't doing anything wrong, I swear," said the pilot Bob Miller, a local property developer who was on a joy ride with the county commissioner Jeff Koons. "I was showing Jeff my house and my son's house down the street. I didn't even know Malcolm lived there.
"When I got to my office the police were on the phone asking about a sniper on board. I was flying with the doors off but I can attest that no one wanted to do Malcolm in."
Glazer is expected to meet Gill in Tampa Bay this week to discuss his plans for the club but the 76-year-old businessman may never visit Manchester. While his son Joel wants an office at Old Trafford, as well as a seat in the directors' box, Glazer may oversee operations from Florida because, as the Palm Beach Post puts it, "some crazed fans who fear that he'll trash David Beckham's old club have threatened to kill him". The possibility of reprisals has also led Glazer to hire off-duty officers to guard his £7m beachfront mansion.
Everton's defender David Weir is poised to sign a new one-year deal with the club. The 35-year-old Scot had been offered the chance to join Leeds but is determined to stay at Goodison Park.
"We've just had a great season and I hope all of the guys who helped us finish in fourth place are around next season to enjoy it," he said. "Alessandro Pistone and Alan Stubbs have been linked with other teams but I hope they stay."
Manchester City have agreed to extend the loan of the Atlético Madrid midfielder Kiki Musampa for a further year. The 27-year-old moved to Manchester in the winter transfer window.
"I am delighted Kiki has committed himself to the club for another season," said the City manager Stuart Pearce. "He did exceptionally well from January through until the end of he season and on the back of those impressive performances he received a call-up to the Dutch national squad."