After giving up on Fabregas, Manchester United turn to Everton’s Fellaini.

David Moyes hopes to make his former Everton charge Marouane Fellaini his first major signing as Manchester United manager, the "Daily Mirror" has reported, after giving up on Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Fellaini’s contract with the Toffees contains a clause that allows him to move to a Champions League club for £23.5m, although Moyes’ valuation does not yet trigger the stipulation and is likely to lead to a lengthy period of negotiation between the two clubs. 

Moyes has attempted to strengthen the midfield he inherited from Sir Alex Ferguson this summer but has so far proved unable to do so, missing out on Barcelona’s Thiago Alcantara, who joined Bayern Munich, and with Fabregas expected to publically declare his intention to remain at Camp Nou, it is to Fellaini that Moyes has now turned.

Everton though are unlikely to accept anything less than the fee called for in Fellaini’s contract, a price that prevented Arsene Wenger from taking the Belgian to Arsenal, while Roberto Martinez, Moyes’ successor at Goodison Park, is hopeful of persuading Fellaini to remain on Merseyside a while longer.

It was Moyes who signed Fellaini for Everton in the summer of 2008, paying a club record fee to take Fellaini, now 25, to Goodison. In that time Fellaini has made 173 appearances, scoring 32 goals.