Manchester United reportedly hope to snatch Gareth Bale from the clutches of Real Madrid by offering Javier Hernandez to Tottenham Hotspur in part exchange.
Los Blancos have made a world-record £85m bid for the Welshman, but the possibility of Spurs selling to the Spanish giants has been lowered due to apparent concerns about the structure of the payment.
New United boss David Moyes is still looking to bring in a high-profile signing after failing to persuade Cesc Fabregas to quit Barcelona for Old Trafford.
The Independent reports that the Red Devils are ready to enter the race for Bale and will use poacher Hernandez, who started just nine Premier League games last season, as a makeweight to reduce Tottenham's asking price.
Spurs have recruited Roberto Soldado from Valencia this summer, but manager Andre Villas-Boas still wants to bring in another striker, and the prospect of adding Hernandez to his squad could tempt the Lillywhites into doing business with the English champions.
Hernandez was used mostly from the bench during United's 2012-2013 campaign, but had the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the Premier League, scoring once every 94.8 minutes.