Manchester United are preparing to test Bayern Munich's resolve with a first official bid for Owen Hargreaves, thought to be in the region of £17m, but the Premiership leaders will not be getting involved in any other transfers until the summer.
Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated he is only "looking at one thing" and yesterday it was the chief executive David Gill's turn to play down suggestions that the club may seek to strengthen other areas. United have already added Henrik Larsson to their playing staff, albeit on a seven-week loan arrangement with Helsingborgs, and Gill said that it is unlikely they would bring in anyone else.
"The money is there but traditionally we do most of our big spending in the summer and I think that will continue," he said. "Things may change. If there's an area in which we want to do something then we'll do it. But we don't plan to do a great deal. We've brought in Larsson, while a number of the players who have been out on loan are back."
United's priority is Hargreaves and they have been increasingly encouraged by some of the noises coming out of Munich. The Bundesliga champions do not want to lose one of their key players but they are aware that there are pitfalls in keeping a player who is keen to leave. Hargreaves, close to fitness after recovering from a broken leg, has made that clear he wants to leave, even being fined on one occasion, and United believe they have a 50-50 chance. "I think we all know the area in which we want to strengthen," Gill said. "But I'm not going to comment on that."
Looking further ahead, United have been alerted to the news that Marseille are willing to sell the France international Franck Ribery for around £17m.
Fulham expect Antti Niemi to "be back in a matter of weeks" after confirming that an MRI scan showed no spinal damage. The goalkeeper fell on his head after attempting to clear the ball in their draw at Watford, forcing play to be halted for seven minutes. "The scan showed some irritation to the related soft tissues in his neck but there is no significant ligament or muscle injury, which is very positive," the club said. "He has some pain and a reduction in the range of movement in his neck, which will need to improve before he can train fully."
Fulham are hopeful of signing Oguchi Onyewu, a US centre-half, from Standard Liege for around £1.5m and hope to swiftly conclude a six-month loan for the Roma striker Vincenzo Montella that would leave Collins John surplus to requirements. Watford are keen on John but the 21-year-old, who would cost about £2m, is not interested in a move to Vicarage Road.
