Fredy Guarin
Fredy Guarin [Reuters] Reuters

Manchester United and Chelsea have suffered a blow in signing Fredy Guarin after the midfielder admitted that he is looking to commit his future to Inter Milan.

The 27-year-old has been a transfer target for the Premier League champions and the Europa winners in the January transfer window, while he was closing in on joining Inter's league rivals Juventus last month.

His potential move to Juventus would have seen Mirko Vucinic join Inter in a swap deal. However, the deal collapsed as the San Siro outfit pulled off at the end as it did not meet their "technical and economical conditions."

Despite his failure to sign for Juventus, United and Chelsea were keen on signing the Colombian international before the transfer window closed in January. However, no deal took place as Guarin continued with his current employers.

The 27-year-old midfielder is looking to put things behind him and has revealed that he would sign a new deal to extend his stay at Inter, if the offer is made available for him.

"After what happened with the proposed move [to Juventus], I had to work more, because supporters are expecting a lot from me. The recent experience taught me a lot and if the contract is ready, I will sign it," the Express quoted Guarin as saying.

"Should Erick Thohir (Inter president) offer me the chance to sign for life with Inter, then I would. Mr Thohir has said that I am important and that I must give my heart to the team," he added.

Guarin has bagged three goals and managed five assists for Inter in 22 league appearances this season.

Meanwhile, United manager David Moyes has admitted that he was surprised with his side's display during their 2-0 defeat to Olympiacos in the first leg of the last-16 tie of the Champions League in Greece.

"We just never got to grips with things. To a man, you could hardly pick anyone out [who played well]. We just didn't perform well," Moyes told United's official website.

"I'm surprised. I didn't see that level of performance coming. We came into the game in good form and a good mindset but it didn't show tonight."