Manchester United will pursue Edinson Cavani in the summer after establishing that his club Paris Saint-Germain would not countenance a sale this month.
Sir Alex Ferguson is understood to have called his former United centre half Laurent Blanc to check on the Uruguay striker's situation and the PSG coach said they would not listen to bids in this window, but would be willing to discuss the possibility at the end of the season.
Moyes was interested in Cavani in the summer but shelved the idea of a bid as he pursued midfielders and a left back. Injuries and form have dictated a world-class striker is required though and Cavani's dissatisfaction with life in Paris means he is a prime candidate.
That does not mean Moyes wants to offload Wayne Rooney, however.
United are prepared to bite the bullet and let Rooney run down his contract until 2015 if he continues to turn down talks on a new deal. He has worked well with Moyes and the hope is he will be convinced by what the manager looks to bring in in the summer.
Chelsea remain keen on Rooney and will bid again for the England striker but United plan to stick to their stance that he is not for sale.
United are interested in Juan Mata but a swap is unlikely. They believe the player would push to move to Old Trafford if a bid was made but, likewise, Chelsea would prefer to sell abroad, if at all. With that in mind United, are continuing to look elsewhere but Moyes is wary of what pressure would fall on the shoulders of any signing that is made now.
Form and morale should be lifted this week by the return of Rooney to the first-team squad, while Robin van Persie is back at Carrington today after his weekend trip to Holland.
daily mail