Monaco chase Nyarko and Bosnich

Monaco are set to splash out during the open transfer window in France – and have targeted out-of-favour Premiership stars Mark Bosnich of Manchester United, right, and Everton's Alex Nyarko to boost their ailing fortunes, onefootball.com can reveal.

This time last season, Monaco were flying high at the top of le Championnat and on course for their second title in four years. But since then, key players – including Fabien Barthez, Willy Sagnol, Sabri Lamouchi and David Trezeguet – have left the principality.

And with them, it seems, have gone Monaco's hopes for this season. The team are already out of the Champions' League and are languishing in 15th place in the French league – just one away from the relegation zone.

Last week's 2-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Marseille increased the pressure on Claude Puel and further proved Monaco's need for defensive cover.

Sources close to the club have told onefootball.com that president Jean-Louis Campora is keen to bring a goalkeeper and a defensive midfielder to the Stade Louis II – and his first-choice is to raid the club to whom he sold Barthez in the summer.

Bosnich has slipped to fourth choice in the Old Trafford pecking-order, behind Barthez, van der Gouw and rookie Paul Rachubka, who came on at Vicarage Road in a Worthington Cup tie against Watford, in which the Dutch stopper was dismissed.

In the summer, the Australian was linked with moves to Celtic and Middlesbrough but vowed to fight for his place. He said: "Throughout my career I have honoured my contracts and I am in no rush to break this one. If United want me to go I have made my position clear.

"Sure the manager has given me the No 13 shirt and sometimes you have to sit on the bench. But I always remind myself that I am a very lucky boy on a great contract here. We will just have to see what happens."

By September, his tune had changed, and he was claiming that the club had "humiliated" him. "People pointed out that the manager didn't turn up at the press conference when I signed and I've always found that very strange. You'd think that when you are signing a replacement for Peter Schmeichel you'd be there. But Fergie wasn't and I don't know why.

"If Alex Ferguson doesn't like me - for whatever reason - that's up to him. He's never said it to me but I'd love to know what I'm supposed to have done wrong."

Six weeks later, United refused to allow Bosnich to go on loan to Rangers. "We were approached by Glasgow Rangers for Mark Bosnich to go on loan. We were very interested in the move. However, when the projected arrangement was put to Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson turned it down flat on the grounds that United have very important games coming up and he wants Mark to stay," his agent Steve Kutner said.

The form of ex-Basle, Karlsruhe and Lens player Nyarko has been reflected in the fortunes of an under-performing Everton side this season. The Ghanaian insisted he would adapt to life in Merseyside when he joined in the summer, saying: "I have had to learn new languages, different styles of football and cultures but I have enjoyed it. Now I am in a new country I will do the same again."

But he has been eclipsed by new boy Thomas Gravesen at Goodison Park and though he impressed in pre-season, has been unable to transfer that form onto the league stage.

Campora has already approached an English agent to find out about the availability of both players – and as the spectre of the second division looms, he will be hoping to introduce the pair in the new year.