Manchester United will find out on Thursday if their £20m bid for Wayne Rooney has succeeded, although Everton are expected to reject the offer.
A similar bid from Newcastle on Monday was turned down and the north east clu are expected to up their offer to £23.5m.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: “We will discuss the matter on Thursday. We have made our intentions clear we would like the boy.”
Ferguson added on MUTV: “Rooney’s a fabulous player – he showed that at Euro 2004 – and is a young player.”
“He’s not the finished article yet, but we’ve got experience of bringing young players to the club and bringing them on. ”
“He is only 18 and no player is the finished article at 18. He’s a great talent and he has a great chance but he is only 18.”
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Newcastle are willing to go as high as £28m to land Rooney, a figure which comes close to Everton’s valuation of £30m.
Rooney has refused to sign a new five-year contract worth £50,000-a-week and it is now increasingly likely Everton will have to sell.
But Everton chairman Bill Kenwright insists a decision is down to manager David Moyes.
“Whatever happens with the sale, if it happens, it will be down to the manager,” he said. “It’s the manager’s final decision.”
“I would love him to be at Everton when he’s a granddad. I can’t tell you if he will be at Everton next week.
“We don’t need to sell Wayne Rooney, we do not need to sell him.”
In response to the £20m offer from Newcastle, Moyes suggested that the offer fell well short of his own valuation.
Moyes said: “I would like to quote Bobby Robson’s words: ‘You’re talking about buying the most exciting, brilliant young player in Europe’.
“If that is what he thinks then he has got to pay the most exciting and brilliant price. He is well short now.
“Newcastle said that the offer is still on the table. Well it’s not on my table because we don’t want it there and it’s certainly not enough.
“Didier Drogba went to Chelsea for £24m so Wayne’s price should be well more than that. He is English and if you want to buy English you have to pay a higher premium.
“We don’t want to lose Wayne but if we do the only way is at the top price and the value we want.”