FERGUSON STILL HOPEFUL ON HARGREAVES

By Simon Stone, PA Sport Chief Football Writer

Sir Alex Ferguson has not yet abandoned all hope of luring Owen Hargreaves to Manchester United.

The Red Devils have reportedly upped their bid for the England midfielder to £20million, yet Bayern Munich are still refusing to sell.

With the transfer window due to close next week, it is looking increasingly likely United will have to wait until next summer at the earliest to sign the midfielder.

Ferguson recognises the difficulty in trying to sign top quality talent at this stage of the season, pointing to a similar lack of activity at Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

However, he is not prepared to throw in the towel just yet.

"I am not giving up on anything that makes us better," he said.

"We have been active in one or two areas but it is not as easy as you think. There are a lot of things to consider and many clubs do not want to sell in January.

"You see the four top clubs; ourselves, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. There has been no movement.

"The teams doing the buying are the ones trying to pull away from the bottom of the league like Aston Villa and West Ham."