Reports this week have surfaced that Manchester United are planning a £27 million bid for Southampton left-back Luke Shaw. Shaw has been a long-term target for the club, and is touted as the heir apparent for Patrice Evra, who is out of contract this summer with no guarantees on his future. The Frenchman may already have played his last game for us, in yesterday's 1-1 draw with the Saints, and his successor may well have been on the field that day. Shaw has been impressive for Mauricio Pochettino's men this season, helping them to a top-10 finish, though there are concerns about the 18-year-old's valuation. £27 million is what we paid for Marouane Fellaini last summer, with the midfielder nearly 10 years Shaw's senior, though the fee does represent the faith we have that the starlet can go on to great things. It's also a statement of intent ahead of the new season as we look to overhaul City, who won the Premier League yesterday, and it's good to see we're prepared to pay what it takes to make that happen. This could mark the start of a big spending spree for United this summer - after the season we've had, we sure hope so.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
