And each week brings new revelations about how much money they reportedly want to stay at Old Trafford.

David Beckham is one of the stars due for talks. According to reports, he will demand between £100,000 and £160,000 a week.

United have refused to comment on the figures, claiming contract terms are always confidential, but they admit the reports might lead to dissent among the players.

United's deputy chief executive David Gill said: "We don't specifically speak about players' wages and contracts because we think it's a personal thing between the club and that particular player.

"So you will never see anything coming out from the club indicating that a player is earning this or that.

"I think for it come out in this way is a source of frustration and potentially leads to unrest."

Gill, though, is confident there will be no problems because the players are sceptical of what they read and he promised that they would all be well looked after.

"I think we have the advantage at Manchester United in that we treat the players well and we treat them fairly and I think they recognise that," he said on MUTV.

"Hopefully a player reading that X earns a particular sum of money doesn't enter their heads or concern them, but I don't think you're ever going to change this and that's the problem.

"The facts are we don't divulge that information. Newspapers have to write stories and in order for those stories to carry weight or interest they've got to put these huge figures in.

"That's a problem which I can't see ever being solved".