Diop signals desire for United move

Manchester United are considering a move for the Senegal midfielder Pape Bouba Diop, according to the player.

Diop, who scored the opening goal of the World Cup finals in the 1-0 defeat of France, has been tracked by United representatives at his French club, Lens, and the 23-year-old said: "Manchester United have been watching me regularly. They asked me to show them what I can do. I said 'no problem' and what happens next is down to my agents."

Eidur Gudjohnsen looks set to stay with Chelsea until the end of the season, scuppering Sir Alex Ferguson's chances of securing a £10m move for the Icelander to Old Trafford in the new year. United's manager has long been an admirer of the former Bolton striker and will have been alerted by the news that his contract talks have been put on hold. But any thoughts that a January raid for the 24-year-old pay dividends appear to have been silenced by the player's agent, who said that further talks with Chelsea are planned for the end of the season.

Everton's David Moyes said he is worried a move to the King's Dock stadium could hit his chances of building a team. The Goodison manager broke his silence on the subject as the 6 December deadline for a decision on the possible switch to the riverside site looms.

Moyes knows that the tricky question of a move has to be settled soon and the plan may have to be shelved to ensure that all available funds go towards building a side rather than constructing a new home on Merseyside.

"The chance of a new stadium is great, but if you cannot control your own football ground it is a worry," he said. "That might stunt the development of the team, so we have to be careful. We have got to marry those two factors together, but to make them go hand-in-hand is not easy."

Birmingham City's teenage midfielder Darren Carter – who scored the goal that clinched the club's place in the Premiership – is poised to sign an improved contract. Steve Bruce is confident the 18-year-old will sign a three-and-a-half year deal "in the next week or so".

City's manager said he understands the decision by the club's co-owner, David Sullivan, not to sanction a spending spree when the transfer window reopens in January. Sullivan has said that only "limited resources" will be made available to Bruce to strengthen his squad, and Bruce said: "I'm realistic about it and I would rather know where we stand so we can be brutally honest. There won't be millions splashed out.

"I don't think we want to get into the situation that some other clubs find themselves in. I won't lie. I would like millions of pounds to spend, but it is a test for me to get the best out of what I've got. Hopefully when the transfer window re-opens we can go and get two or three deals sorted out if we possibly can, which would help us. But it is fair to say there won't be millions to spend because that's the way things are in the current climate."