Manchester United chief executive David Gill admits there is little chance of Owen Hargreaves arriving at Old Trafford before Wednesday's transfer deadline.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who first made public his interest in landing Hargreaves last summer, is reported to have offered Bayern Munich £20million for the England international.
However, after a Bayern board meeting on Thursday, club officials hinted that any deal for Hargreaves would have to wait until the summer.
And Gill has now revealed his own doubts over a transfer being concluded prior to the January transfer window closing.
"I can confirm we are interested in the player and we have been since last summer but at the moment Bayern Munich aren't willing to sell him and we will have to leave it at that," Gill told BBC Radio Five Live.
Meanwhile, striker Henrik Larsson has corroborated Gill's claim that there have been no talks over the striker extending his loan spell at the club.
The Sweden international is due to return to Helsingborgs in March, and Larsson admits that, despite speculation to the contrary, there have been no discussions regarding a possible extension.
"I have never said anything else," Larsson told Helsingborgs Dagblad. "That [returning to Helsingborgs in March] is where it stands."