Yaya Toure, Franck Ribery, Francesco Totti… Santos boss set to launch audacious bid for trio of European footballing giants

BRAZILIAN side Santos are set to launch an audacious trio of bids to bring European giants Franck Ribery, Yaya Toure and Francesco Totti to the club.

Last month, the South American side's boss, Dorival Junior, had already stated he wished to land Manchester United outcast Bastian Schweinsteiger.

It would appear Santos are hoping to add a splash of star talent to their line-up, with Junior claiming 'it would be a real statement'.

Keep up to date with ALL the football news, gossip, transfers and goals on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary.

On Schweinsteiger, the Santos boss said: "It would be a huge wake-up call for the world.

"My plan, which I have tried to pass on to the Santos board, is for Santos to once more have a world-class player, which we should look for in European clubs if they are not being used properly.

"[Schweinsteiger] fits that profile. I have not officially passed this on [to Santos' board], it is my initiative to have a player with his history.

"He is not doing well in Manchester and suddenly a Brazilian club is interested in a player of his class, it could shake the market up."

Now, in the run up to Christmas, Junior is hoping to add a little more talent to his first-team with some household names.

He added: "I work in reality, but I have to try and build the best team possible.

"I think of it as a marketing move, which can gain new members or a partner interested in the image of the player.

"This is the healthy side of football, wanting more and more. Then comes the board looking for a new name, a man who is down and wants to turn his career around.

"Ribery is one of these, who could be a name, and at Manchester City there is Yaya Toure. Totti is another that if he came would attract everyone's attention.

"We are discussing some names. Sometimes the player himself is looking for a new place and is disposed to a new financial situation."

Toure's position in the Manchester City squad is still uncertain, despite breaking back into Pep Guardiola's first-team plans following a spat with the Spanish boss.

However, with his contract up in the summer, Santos could stand a chance of landing the Ivorian.

Meanwhile, Totti, at 40-years-old, is unlikely to further his 24-year career at Roma and while many believe he will remain the ultimate one-club man, Santos boss Junior is confident.

Ribery would represent the biggest longshot of the three as, despite not being as key a member of the first-team this term under Carlo Ancelotti, he recently penned a new deal keeping him at the Bundesliga giants until 2018.