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Manchester United's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona was disappointing for Reds fans, but it could also prove to be a watershed moment for the club.

After all, who wants to play for a bunch of losers?

Certainly, Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have had a change of heart in the wake of the defeat.

Just a week ago, the flying forward 'unequivocally' pledged his future to his current club, claiming "I only care about what will happen next season at Manchester United".

So it was with a certain degree of surprise (although not too much) to hear Ronaldo respond with a simple "I don't know" when asked on Wednesday night whether he would be at Old Trafford next season.

Real Madrid are sure to have been listening with interest, as the world's most tedious transfer saga ever looks set to bore us all to tears once again this summer.

But any transfer involving Ronaldo - or for that matter the on-going will-he-won't-he Carlos Tevez episode - is sure to pale into insignificance if some of the more reactive (and idiotic) of United fans get their way.

Incredibly, radio phone-in switchboards were jammed at full-time of the Barcelona game, with a small number of 'fans' demanding dramatic changes at the club following the disappointment in Rome.

And changes do not get more dramatic than manager Sir Alex Ferguson leaving after more than 22 years at the club.

Yes, that's right. Some loonies had broken the conditions of their day-release agreements to phone in and actually call for Fergie's head, despite the Scot having landed the Premier League, the Carling Cup and the Club World Cup this season.

Those kind of sentiments have not been heard since 1990 - and for good reason. Fergie's desire, commitment, drive and know-how remains second to none, even after all these years.

Fortunately, the likelihood is that said fans will have woken up this morning with sore heads and taken a few pills before meekly surrendering themselves back to the establishments they escaped from in the first place, and nothing more will be heard of their plans.

Meanwhile, Franck Ribery is set to follow in the footsteps of the likes of John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien by snubbing the overtures of United and plumping for Chelsea instead.

With Ronaldo's future uncertain, the France international has been linked to United. But Chelsea appear to have sneaked in under the radar and are set to nick him from under their rivals' noses.

The Sun reports that a fee of £43m has been agreed with Bayern Munich, with just personal terms yet to be settled. Ribery is said to be holding out for a whopping £125,000-a-week after tax, but Chelsea reluctant to offer more than £90,000.

Over to Milan, where Jose Mourinho, a favourite to succeed Fergie when (if) he ever does retire, is set for a busy summer of transfer activity.

The Internazionale boss has targeted Manchester City midfielder Elano, and is willing to shell out £8 million to get his man - that's one "El of a bid" according to The Sun.

And Chelsea midfielder Deco is also on Mourinho's radar, with the Portuguese keen to link up with his compatriot at the Guiseppe Meazza.

"I can confirm I'm talking with Inter," said Deco in The Sun. "I didn't get to play much this year at Chelsea and a move to Italy would be a very good solution.

"To be coached by Mourinho again would be very interesting. But I don't want to go into details, because it's not me who's dealing with the matter." Natch.

Elsewhere, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has been checking out Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez with sultry Spanish eyes. The 20-year-old is thought of as a real prospect in his homeland, meaning the Reds would have to dig deep and find something in the region of £10m to secure his services.

West Brom may have been relegated, but striker Marc-Antoine Fortune is hoping to stay in the Premier League next season. The Nancy-owned ace is pondering a move to Portsmouth.

And finally, newly-promoted Wolves are planning a double raid on Wigan Athletic, with Michael Brown and Emerson Boyce - both out of contract at the end of next season - on their wish list, while Blackburn are interested in towering Marseille defender Renato Civelli.

Eurosport