OK, a move for Ruud van Nistelrooy seems rather far fetched. He is one of the greatest strikers the Premier League has seen and currently plays for footballing giants Real Madrid.

However, look at it from van Nistelrooy's perspective. With the World Cup looming, sitting in the stands at the Bernabeu every week is going to push him further down the pecking order for the Dutch national side.

Which top flight sides in England will be able to offer him a definate starting spot? Not many is the answer. Liverpool have been linked, but Benitez is famed for his chopping and changing of his line-ups. Stoke on the other hand are looking to offload James Beattie and Dave Kitson, while also searching for a regular frontline partner for Tuncay. 

Van Nistelrooy would obviously come at a price, but is it actually all that much? Let's say for argument's sake he costs  £100,000 a week.

It seems alot, but it isn't. Stoke would only have him until the end of May, which is only 18 weeks away. That means the cost of 'hiring' van Nistelrooy would be just shy of £2 million. In this day and age, that is peanuts for a top striker, and actually less than Stoke paid for Michael Tonge.

Add the fact that van Nistelrooy could commute from his old home near Manchester, and this prospective move could well happen. What seemed like a pipedream is suddenly looking far more realistic.

Perhaps I shouldn't get carried away though. We'll probably end up with Marlon Harewood!

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