Manchester United Restart Leighton Baines Pursuit

Manchester United Restart Leighton Baines Pursuit

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

On Monday, Manchester United were being linked with a £50 million move for Ross Barkley, by Tuesday it is Leighton Baines who is back on the club's radar.

The Daily Mirror reports that David Moyes will return with a £16m bid for the England international left-back when the January transfer window opens, although the paper is not convinced that will be enough to get a deal done.

The Mirror reports:

David Moyes is ready to battle Everton again for Leighton Baines with a fresh £16million bid.

The Manchester United boss failed to get his man in the summer when he launched a double raid for Baines and Marouane Fellaini.

But he is now preparing to go back with another assault on his former club when the transfer window opens to try to get the England left-back to move to Old Trafford.

Moyes expects the Toffees to fight hard once more to keep Baines. Despite the fact he has not signed a new deal promised to him when Everton rebuffed United’s offer last summer, Everton are unwilling to let him go.

The United boss could have to dig deeper to try to tempt Everton as he also feels Baines is not the type of player to demand a move.

And that could leave Moyes searching elsewhere for the left-back he needs.

If Baines proves difficult to pry away, the newspaper says United will turn their attentions to Luke Shaw of Southampton. However, the Daily Mail expects that pursuit to be similarly fraught.

The Mail adds:

Shaw, 18, is also on Chelsea’s radar but Southampton have made it clear they are determined not to sell. Rated one of the most promising young  English players in the country, the teenager will leave the south coast club before too long but it looks as though it will not be before the summer.