West Ham striker Carlton Cole is not for sale at any price despite reports that Premier League's big guns are preparing January bids. A spokesman at Upton Park insisted that Cole is "not for sale", and added: "We want to keep all our best players and the suggestion that we need to sell because of a financial crisis is not true."

For Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, though, Cole is someone who could play with Wayne Rooney and who offers something different - more of a physical presence - from the forwards he has at Old Trafford.

Fergie has hardly touched the £80million United received for Ronaldo.