The pre-transfer market skirmishing over Southampton left back Luke Shaw shows no signs of easing down. Whilst a couple of weeks ago rumours abounded that Chelsea were winning the fight to sign the player who was reportedly a boyhood Blues fan, now reports suggest that Manchester United are trying to muscle their way to the front of the queue. With Manchester city also long-time admirers of the player, Saints’ owner’s Katharina Liebherr resolve offered to manager Mauricio Pochettino and the club’s supporters that star players Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez, Rickie Lambert, Morgan Schneiderlin, James Ward-Prowse and Shaw would not be sold, may be put under severe examination.
United boss David Moyes is already resigned to losing Nemnja Vidic ion the summer and rumours continue to circulate that centre back partner Rio Ferdinand and French full back Patrice Evra may also depart Old Trafford in the summer. With this in mind, Moyes will need a number of quality replacements, and signing Shaw to replace Evra would be ideal. A long-time interest in Everton’s left back Leighton Baines now appears to have cooled with the England international signing a new deal at Goodison Park; it now appears that Shaw is Unitd’s key target for the position.
Reports suggest that United already have a bid of £22.5million on the table for the player, but with other parties interested, that may not be enough to seal the deal. Over in west London, Jose Mourinho is committed to finding a long term replacement for Ashley Cole. The Portuguese has loaned out Ryan Bertrand to Aston Villa, which may indicate how he sees the player’s future, and with Duch full back Patrick van Aanholt also out on loan Mourinho has been deploying Spanish right back in Cole’s position. This will surely only be a short term measure however, and with Cole potentially on his way out of the club in the summer, anew recruit is required.
Although the January window has only just closed, it’s not unusual for the summer transfer rumour mill to begin churning away already. That certainly seems to be the case with Shaw, and the battle to secure his services for next season promises to be a hotly contested one.
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