Leighton Baines wanted to join Manchester United

Leighton Baines wanted to join Manchester United during the summer transfer window, admits Everton coach Alan Stubbs.

Manchester United made it no secret that they wanted to sign both Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines during the window, after making a number of bids, for it to just be an agreed £27.5million deal for Fellaini in the closing minutes of deadline day.

Alan Stubbs, speaking at a Football Writers Association event in London, confirmed that stopped selling Leighton Baines to United before recruiting the likes of  Gareth Barry and James McCarthy and Lukaku late on.

“The way the transfer deadline goes, everyone looks at it and it got to a stage where we knew the Gareth Bale [Madrid] thing was going to happen,

“That was the big one. Underlying from that, there wasn’t really an awful lot going on.

“Probably come seven o’clock on the night [September 2] at Everton the word from the training ground was that no one was going to go.

“Fellaini was staying. Bainesy was never really an option – the club had dug its heels in. Bainesy had obviously said he’d like to go.

“And then, come nine o’clock, suddenly we started to get linked with Lukaku and then the Fellaini thing was starting with negotiations with United. By the time it had finished we’d bought three in and they are great additions to the squad.”

David Moyes and Manchester United might feel that a bid for Leighton Baines might be lodged during the January transfer window.

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