David Moyes may not officially take over the Manchester United hotseat until July 1 but his work has already began at Old Trafford amid reports the Premier League champions have tabled a bid for Everton’s Leighton Baines.
The Times claim that United have lodged an offer between £10-12million for the 28-year-old left-back, who holds the distinction of creating the most goalscoring chances (116) of any player in the top five European leagues last season.
Moyes brought Baines to Goodison Park in 2007 and is a huge admirer of the Liverpudlian whose raiding forays down the left have become an increasingly potent weapon of Everton’s play of recent seasons.
News of United’s bid for the England international will only heighten speculation over the future of current United left-back Patrice evra, who has been linked with a return to his former club AS Monaco.
Baines, meanwhile, has two-years left on his current Everton deal and early this week spoke of his excitement at working under Moyes’ successor Roberto Martinez.
However, the lure of reuniting with Moyes and the prospect of Champions League football with the Premier League champion could prove too much for the former Wigan ace as he battles Ashley Cole for astarting berth with England.
That said, United’s opening gambit is unlikely to be enough to convince Everton to sell a player who has arguably been their most consistent performer for the past two seasons.
United have been relatively quiet in the transfer market so far this summer with Wilfried Zaha, orginally signed back in January, and relatively unknown Uruguayan full-back Guillermo Valera the only new recruits.
But that is expected to change in the coming weeks with the club stepping up their bid for Baines and closing in on a £17m deal for Barcelona playmaker Thiago Alcantara.
The 22-year-old, named Player of the Tournament at the recently concluded European Under-21 Championships after his hat-trick in the final, is widely believed to have his heart set on a move to Old Trafford after failing to hold down a first-team place at the Camp Nou.
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