Manchester United Transfer News: Leighton Baines Likely to Land in Old Trafford

Manchester United's pursuit of Everton star left-back Leighton Baines will wind up with the Red Devils striking gold in their attempt to land the highly coveted defender.

New United manager David Moyes has been extremely aggressive during the Summer transfer window in pursuit of marquee players thus far, and he has all the goods to convince Baines to join his new club.

The 28-year-old Baines had played under Moyes during the manager's long tenure at Everton since 2007. Moyes, above all, knows how incredible Baines is—and how well he knows the system Moyes will be implementing.

That's why the pursuit of Baines is so relentless. Thankfully, the Red Devils have the funds at their disposal to bring a stud like Baines to Old Trafford.

John Drayton of The Daily Mail reported recently that an initial offer of approximately £12 million was rejected, but that could be upped to as much as £20 million—an 80 percent increase in total dollar amount.

Paying such a price may seem unreasonable, yet it is necessary to convince Everton to let go of a premier player and the best chance the Toffees have at stopping the prolific attack United routinely boasts.

The Red Devils are the defending English Premier League champions, but the retirement of Alex Ferguson as manager leaves at least the immediate future in some doubt.

Moyes could earn a lot of respect by bringing in one of his former pupils, which would also help United's form on the pitch immensely. The midfield is currently thin, and though the Red Devils still have plenty of offensive firepower, it could be less relevant if they aren't dominating possession as they're accustomed to.

In fact, as The Guardian pointed out in a staff report on Friday, June 28,  Ferguson attempted to land Baines last Summer but was unable to do so. The minimal amount then was perceived to be £18 million, with a slight increase to £20 million possibly prompting a "reluctant" transfer.

Now that Baines is a year older and has lessening time left on his contract, the value Everton could have gotten for him last time around is down, yet the club seems determined to keep him in Goodison Park.

Perhaps Baines could block out the allure of Old Trafford when a longtime legend such as Ferguson was coveting him, because Ferguson and United were always linked.

Now that Moyes is the Red Devils' leader, though, it's very possible that Baines' thinking could change.

The Moyes connection and United's maintenance on Everton's top-dollar amount professed during last year's transfer window will ultimately cause the Toffees to give in. It may harm their short-term success, but such significant money can buy a lot of assets, as in multiple players to build for the future.