Manchester United close in on Marouane Fellaini transfer as Everton ask to borrow starlet Lingard 31 Aug 2013 23:01
Toffees want highly-rated England U-21 prospect included in £36m deal PLUS: The four other midfielders Moyes is still looking at
Manchester United are edging towards a £36million deal for Marouane Fellaini after Everton asked for Jesse Lingard on loan for the season, write Steve Bates and Alan Nixon of the Sunday People.
Toffees boss Roberto Martinez wants to take United midfielder Lingard as part of the deal and Old Trafford boss David Moyes will make a decision after Sunday’s clash with Liverpool on whether to release the highly-rated England under-21 star.
Fellaini is ready to quit Everton after agreeing to an emotional farewell against Cardiff on Saturday.
The Belgian agreed to turn out only after crisis talks with Martinez who pleaded with him to give one last performance.
Fellaini played in the 0-0 draw and now expects Martinez to honour his agreement and let him go to United.
The wild-haired Goodison man is one of FIVE midfield targets on Moyes’s radar.
Borussia Dortmund play-maker Ilkay Gundogan and Real Madrid star Luka Modric are on the Old Trafford wish-list alongside Fellaini, Athletic Bilbao’s Ander Herrera and Roma’s Daniele De Rossi.
Moyes, a Bundesliga expert, has been a long-standing admirer of £35m-rated Gundogan and checked the player personally at the Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Dortmund at Wembley in May.
But after the sale of highly-rated Shinji Kagawa a year ago the German club do not want to see another of their top players leave for Old Trafford.
One compromise could be a swap deal plus cash from United with Kagawa going back to Dortmund; although Moyes has insisted the Japanese ace will play a major role for him this season.
With Tottenham star Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid near completion, Moyes expects the Spanish giants to off-load at least one top midfielder, putting Modric back on the table.
Bilbao have already rejected United’s £25m bid for 24-year-old Herrera who is understood to have a £31m release clause in his contract.
United won’t pay that much – hence the move for Fellaini.
Moyes also wants Everton left-back Leighton Baines.
Baines has NOT asked for a move, although his agents have been lobbying Martinez to let him go.
Goodison chief Martinez seems resigned to losing at least one of his star names to Old Trafford.
“They are top players for Everton and you always want to keep them – but you are not always in control of what is going to happen,” he said on Saturday night.
“I hope they are wearing Everton shirts in the next game – and I hope they are here for many years to come.”
