A bad week for Alex Ferguson took another downturn when the Manchester United boss was informed his £10million offer for Michael Carrick was set to be rejected.
Ferguson is eager to bolster his midfield ranks and has been desperately searching for a defensively-minded player who could fill the massive vacancy left by Roy Keane's departure last November.
After scouring Europe looking at the options, it appears Ferguson has decided Carrick is the man. But, if he is to stand any chance of landing the Wallsend-born player, he will need to increase his bid to somewhere in the region of £14million.
Having had his holiday in the south of France rudely interrupted by the furore over Wayne Rooney's return to the England fold, Ferguson faces another weekend of distracted deliberation as he decides whether to make a second offer.
Spurs boss Martin Jol has previously suggested Carrick is a player he would like to build a side around and the White Hart Lane club have informed him he is under no financial pressure to allow the heart to be ripped out of his squad.
The only room for negotiation if United are not prepared to increase their offer would be if striker Ruud van Nistelrooy became part of the equation.
Jol is a known admirer of his fellow Dutchman and it has already been suggested he might make an £8million offer of his own for the former PSV Eindhoven star, who fell out with Ferguson so spectacularly at the end of the season.
Whether Tottenham, who cannot offer Champions League combat next season, would appeal to Van Nistelrooy is another matter, particularly as it appears AC Milan are ready to step in to end his Old Trafford nightmare once the World Cup is over.
The dilemma for Ferguson is that, having made no secret of his desire to strengthen United's midfield, the Scot has so far been unable to bring new faces into Old Trafford.
Lyon's Mahamadou Diarra is believed to be on the Red Devils' hit-list but it appears the Mali man is waiting to see whether there will be any interest from Real Madrid once the Spanish giants' presidential elections are held at the beginning of next month.
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