Alberto Moreno
Alberto Moreno Reuters

Manchester United have shifted their attention to Seville left-back Alberto Moreno after being thwarted in their attempt to sign Leighton Baines, accordng to the Mirror.

David Moyes was particularly keen on signing Baines but the England international is set to sign a three year extension on his current contract, pouring cold water over any potential deal that Moyes had prepared for his star defender at Everton.

Moreno has emerged as one of the rising talents of Spanish football and at only 21 has been drafted into the Spanish team. The youngster is expected to be available for a fee in the range of £18 and Moyes has made him his prime target after Patrice Evra's exit from the club next summer.

However, United will face competition from Real Madrid, who are also interested in the player, which will make it difficult for Moyes, especially if he fails to guide his team to the Champions League next season.

The Red Devils have failed to replicate their form from last season, where they won the Premier League under Sir Alex Ferguson and have been found wanting under Moyes, whose shambolic activity in the summer transfer window meant that they were unable to strengthen while the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City bolstered their squad around him.

The Red Devils are currently 14 points behind league leaders Arsenal and will face Chelsea on Sunday as they look to close the gap on Liverpool for a place in the top four. However, Moyes is still optimistic that his side can pull off something special this season and a win over Chelsea will be catalyst to the same.

"There's a chance it could set up a really good 10 days [if we beat Chelsea]. We won against Swansea, we've got a cup tie on Wednesday and could find it's an important 10 days. Going to Chelsea is a big game and I'm looking forward to it," Moyes told the Official United website.

"In the position we're in right now, it'd be wrong to say something which I couldn't either back up or justify. I'm more keen on winning the next game and the longer it goes, the more I'll be able to start thinking about further down the line. But I'm always thinking about the top [of the table] and not anything else," he added.