Manchester United Owners Sanction £10m Evra-Replacement Bid – Report

Manchester United's owners have reportedly given the go-ahead for Sir Alex Ferguson to broker a deal for Everton star Leighton Baines to make a move to the English giants in the summer.

With the Red Devils currently in one of their tightest title fights for the last decade with Manchester City, transfers might seem far away from Ferguson's mind, but summer is coming up very quickly and the club are said to have been weighing up possible targets.

The United manager is typically well organised in his moves for each transfer window, and last summer was able to shore up deals for Phil Jones, David de Gea and Ashley Young by the end of June while his counterparts waited until closer to deadline day.

And with this in mind, the Daily Mirror is reporting that the club are keen to make an early bid for Baines, offering £10m for the left-back.

With Patrice Evra finishing off a patchy season at United, Ferguson is believed to be looking for more competition for the left-back position, and sees Baines as a possible long term replacement for the Frenchman.

Featuring for the England line-up, Baines has been outstanding for both club and country this season, driving Everton to finish above Liverpool in the Premier League table in seventh place.

With the Toffees suffering from limited funds, United reportedly believe they can land Baines for a decent price, despite English players often being overvalued in the transfer market.

Eden Hazard is another target that Ferguson is highly coveting this season, with the Scot admitting he holds an admiration for the Belgian playmaker, even though he's in big competition for the star with the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal this summer.

With both Hazard and Baines wanted by top clubs, United are acting quickly, and could start making bids as early as next week, even though the side are staying focused on defeating Sunderland and keeping the pressure on City this weekend.