Ballack weighs up his future

English Premiership: Michael Ballack will not leave Bayern Munich for Manchester United - or any other club - during the January transfer window.

The player's agent, Michael Becker, claimed Ballack had not yet decided where his long-term future lies and insisted he would be going nowhere until after the World Cup. The German captain's contract expires in the summer and he is due to let the club know at the end of this month whether he is prepared to sign a new, lucrative four-year deal.

Although Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has not given up hope of persuading the 29-year-old to stay in Munich, the odds remain on Ballack leaving and general manager Uli Hoeness has already admitted he fears the worst.

United, Real Madrid and both Milan clubs are thought to be monitoring the situation and there has been speculation Bayern may decide to sell during the January transfer window if Ballack declares his intention to quit.

"There is absolutely no chance of Michael leaving in January," said Becker. "It just would not make sense. First, it would cost him any chance of winning the Champions League this season, which is the prime motivation for the remainder of his career.

"Secondly, what would be the point of Bayern selling him because they could make more in Champions League prize money with him in the team than they would in a transfer fee given he only has six months left on his contract. And thirdly, why would he want to leave Germany such a short time before he is due to captain them in the World Cup."

Although no date has been set for the meeting at which Ballack will give Bayern his final decision, tantalisingly, Becker did admit the midfielder may offer an indication about his preferred destination at the same time.

"I think Michael will either say he is staying, or he will say he is leaving and would like to join a particular club," he said. "That would at least allow him to start negotiating in January. I must stress, Michael has spoken to no-one about his future yet and has certainly not spoken to any other club about his plans. I still don't believe he has totally decided in his own mind what he wants to do, although he is probably pretty close."

If Ballack does opt to leave his homeland, Alex Ferguson is likely to move quickly in his attempts to lure him to England. With Roy Keane due to leave Old Trafford next summer and relations between the United captain and his manager believed to be near breaking point over Keane's much-publicised "unbroadcastable" interview prior to Sunday's win over Chelsea, the need for a replacement is acute.

Apart from Ballack, Ferguson has also been linked with a move for Ajax's Dutch international midfielder Nigel de Jong and also Real Madrid's former Everton player Thomas Gravesen.

Meanwhile, Villarreal captain Quique Alvarez has torn the cartilage in his right knee and will be sidelined for up to eight weeks, ruling him out of the Spanish side's last two Champions League Group D games against Manchester United and Lille.

A decision on whether the centre back needs an operation to repair the damage will be taken today.