Which Manchester club is eyeing up Baines swoop?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 7:30 PM | by Daniel Whiteway 
In one of the most overdue moves in English football, it looks as if the opening bell has been rung in the transfer negotiations for Everton and England left back and part-hobbit Leighton Baines to move to a club that can offer him Champions League football.
The Daily Mirror today reports that Manchester United Chief Executive David Gill has contacted Toffee’s supremo Bill Kenwright over a summer move for the 27-year-old. Why a Chief Executive is contacting a Chairman about the details of a transfer is beyond me but, hey, I didn’t come up with the rumour.
The paper believes that United are willing to offer up to £12m for the defender but Everton are unwilling to let Baines go for less than £15m as to free up more funds for David Moyes to spend in the summer transfer window.
Baines, who has been a regular for Everton in his six seasons at the Merseyside club racking up more than 200 appearances, is thought to be unwilling to rock the boat and ask for a transfer, instead he will wait for the fee to be arranged. However, the paper reports he would like to have his future solved before he departs for Euro 2012.
Baines, who joined Everton from Wigan for £6million in the summer of 2007, has enjoyed a successful spell at Goodison where his eye for goal and assist-producing capability led to him notching 99 consecutive games before injury curtailed the run and being the first Everton player in 22 years to be named in the PFA’s team of the year last season.
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