Manchester United Transfer News: Modric and Baines Next on Fergie's Wish List

Sir Alex Ferguson is making a big splash in the transfer market this summer, and he will continue his spending spree. 

Next up, Tottenham’s Luka Modric and Everton’s Leighton Baines, according to David McDonnell of Mirror Football. 

The Manchester United boss has already bought Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa in a deal that cost the Red Devils £12 million and could increase to £17 million.

The flurry of activity suggests that Ferguson is extremely displeased with United’s 2011-12 campaign, which ended without a single major trophy.

The team was bounced out of Champions League in the group stage and choked away the English Premier League title in the final month.

Now, major changes are in store for the squad. Fergie is picking his targets wisely, as both Modric and Baines would be excellent additions.

Modric is 26 years old and Baines is 27, so both players are a little older than an ideal transfer target, but they will bring stability and maturity to the United lineup.

Modric is a fantastic midfielder who controls possession as well as any player in the Premiership.

More than eighty-seven percent of his passes in Premiership matches were successful, which is a remarkable statistic for a player who was on the ball as often as he was.

United was thin in the center of the pitch this past season. Paul Scholes’ return from retirement helped, but he is not a long-term solution. Modric, however, can play Scholes’ role at a high level for several more years. 

Baines will also fill a need for the Red Devils. Apart from Patrice Evra, the team had plenty of questions at outside back. Rafael was inconsistent, while both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are converted center-backs. 

However, a potential problem lies with Baines’ preferred foot. Both he and Evra are left-footed players, and for both to be in the starting 11, one would have to play opposite from his preferred side.

Still, if Fergie is genuinely interested, he has a remedy for this situation. Adding Baines would give United much greater depth at the position, and Evra is mature enough to handle a position change. 

While the interest in Baines raises some questions, Modric would be the true prize of the summer.

He gives United exactly what they need to recapture the title from archrival Manchester City. A central midfield that includes Modric and Kagawa will produce some stunningly beautiful moments.

At the very least, the latest transfer buzz from Old Trafford proves that Ferguson is in no way content with last season’s results. More improvements will be made before the start of next year, and one can only hope that at least Modric factors into those plans.