Reports in England and Italy suggest Manchester United will offer Dimitar Berbatov as bait to lure Gigi Buffon to Old Trafford.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper's future has been the subject of great speculation in recent weeks despite his repeated pledges of commitment to Juventus.

Buffon's is due to start training at Vinovo today for the first time since his back surgery after the World Cup, which is still due to keep him out until the spring.

Reports in England and Italy suggest Manchester United will offer Dimitar Berbatov as bait to lure Gigi Buffon to Old Trafford.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper's future has been the subject of great speculation in recent weeks despite his repeated pledges of commitment to Juventus.

Buffon's is due to start training at Vinovo today for the first time since his back surgery after the World Cup, which is still due to keep him out until the spring.

However, the rumour mill continues to grind out reports that Sir Alex Ferguson is monitoring his situation closely despite agreeing to sign Denmark international Anders Lindegaard in January.

Edwin Van der Sar is expected to retire in the summer and former United greats like Peter Schmeichel believe the club needs an experienced replacement who is proven to be world class.

Both La Gazzetta dello Sport and The Telegraph claim Juventus have a keen interest in Berbatov.

It's no secret Juventus would like to upgrade their squad at the striker position and United might be keen to make use of Berbatov's trade value.

The Bianconeri reportedly no longer consider Buffon to be indispensable and feel Marco Storari has done a very good job of standing in for him this season.

Given Buffon earns €13m a year excluding tax, Juventus' balance sheet would also let out a sigh of relief if he were to leave.

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