David Moyes has offered Cesc Fabregas the chance of a Premier League return.

The Manchester United manager has lodged a £26million bid for the former Arsenal skipper, who has failed to secure a regular starting slot.

Yet he has made 96 appearances in his two seasons at the Nou Camp, and the initial reaction from Barcelona is that they are not interested in parting with the 26-year-old.

"The player is not transferable," a Barca source said.

Such words are not always the signal that a transfer is impossible.

In this instance, though, it is not known whether the midfielder actually wants to move.

However, after his outstanding eight-year stint at Arsenal, which came to an end in 2011, Fabregas may conclude he is better placed to expand his medal collection by joining United as opposed to his former club if he concludes his time at the Nou Camp is over.

Having seen Thiago Alcantara join Bayern Munich, Fabregas may think he still has a future at Barcelona despite the competition provided by Xavi, Andres Iniesta and £50m new boy Neymar.

Yet, like Thiago, Fabregas also knows his place in the Spain squad for next summer's World Cup will be at risk if he does not feature regularly at club level.

And he must know, given the state of United's midfield, he would be one of the key men at Old Trafford.

Having lost Paul Scholes to retirement and continuing doubt over the career of Darren Fletcher, Moyes has already confirmed he requires additional competition for Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley.

And the side issue would be that because he has featured in the advanced false-nine role, it would raise a further question mark over Wayne Rooney's status with the Old Trafford outfit.