The Sun report something we covered last week, in that Ruud is looking for a pay-off:
His patience had snapped with the World Cup star who had been rowing with team-mates and had sided with Roy Keane in the Irishman's rant at the club last year.
Van Nistelrooy, 29, has two years left on his current contract and the £90,000-a-week ace will want a year of that — £4.5million — if he is sold.
But Fergie will rather pay him as a reserve than do that.
He will also deny Van Nistelrooy a move back to his old club PSV Eindhoven for a cut-price fee of around £5m.
However, both Milan clubs may be interested and French champs Lyon would definitely take him on board.
The Mirror:
Lyon will allow Mahamadou Diarra to go to Manchester United - in exchange for Ruud van Nistelrooy and about £12million.
The Mali playmaker is Sir Alex Ferguson's No.1 summer transfer target, but the United manager had been put off by his £24m price tag.
However Lyon, led by former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, may consider a swap for out-of-favour van Nistelrooy plus a hefty cash payment.
The MEN:
Jose Mourinho's powers of persuasion could hold the key to Ruud van Nistelrooy's future.
The Chelsea boss has set his sights on luring Andriy Shevchenko away from AC Milan to Stamford Bridge.
And should the Serie A giants lose their Ukrainian talisman, they would move for United's unsettled hitman as his replacement.
Van Nistelrooy favours a move to Spain's La Liga following the fall-out with Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson that has made his departure from Old Trafford seem certain.
But the big two there, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are cool about the Dutchman. That leaves Italy as his only realistic escape route.