Man Utd Transfer News: Leighton Baines £10 Million Bid

The Daily Mail reports that the Red Devils will make the formal bid for the 27-year-old, who has been one of their main transfer targets all summer, when Chief Executive David Gill returns from holiday in America. This is expected to be this week. Although United's bid will actually come in £5 million under Everton's £15 million valuation, the offer is expected to be a final one from the Old Trafford board and because of Everton's financial woes, Sir. Alex Ferguson is confident of landing his man. Baines has three years still to run on his current contract at Goodison Park but feels at his age, it is the only change he is going to get to move to one of the Premier League's top clubs and play in the Champions League and challenge for trophies. Ferguson meanwhile wants Baines to be the first choice left-back for United next season after Patrice Evra's dips in form last season and in allowing Fabio to join Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan and youngster Ezekiel Fryers joining Spurs, believing he needs some more bodies in that position. The decision to purchase Baines for a huge price is an interesting one. Ferguson has only ever spent money on a striker over 26 in the past 15 years when he opted to buy Dimitar Berbatov for huge money from Spurs, though strangely in recent seasons he has lost faith in the talismanic striker and has again reverted to the youth of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck.