Roberto Martinez has said he has yet to receive any further contact from
Manchester United about Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines....
The Everton manager is adamant that he is under no financial pressure to
sell either player if and when another bid arrives from Old Trafford --
the Premier League champions have already seen a £28 million double offer rejected.
United are expected to make another attempt to sign midfielder Fellaini
before the end of this week, and they could yet make a third move for
left-back Baines.
Asked whether there had been any new contact, Martinez said: “No.
There’s been no other news. There’s going to be lots of talk about the
transfer window, but that’s not what we’re going to be focusing on now.”
United, managed by former Everton boss David Moyes, had a £12 million
bid for Baines rejected in late July before tabling their double offer,
which was dismissed by Everton as “derisory and insulting”.
Moyes and United have until next Monday’s transfer deadline to make any
final offers for the pair, with reports suggesting a £20 million bid for
Belgium international Fellaini could be imminent.
“When you talk about player valuations, that goes down to the market,”
Martinez said. “The value that the market puts on players depends on
whether you need to sell as a football club. There are many football
clubs that need to sell, to get some funds in. Then, the price can be
different.
“You get other situations where you don’t need to sell. You don’t want
to be in a situation where you lose your best performers. Every
situation is quite different and unique.
“We are in a position where we don’t have to sell. We know exactly where
we are internally. We are very, very strong financially, and we don’t
have to sell at all.”
Martinez also played down suggestions that he had made an offer to his
former club Wigan for midfielder James McCarthy. “There has been no bid
made,” he said. “I think it’s quite easy to understand that James is a
player I signed at a young age and I’ve got huge admiration for him, so
it doesn’t take much to create a little bit of a story. But there has
been no bid.”
However, the manager said he was still looking to add to his squad,
explaining: “We’ve still got a few days of the window left. As we should
do, we will try to identify any help to the players that we have.”
Martinez said he was determined to avoid letting the final days of the
transfer window distract him from his first cup tie since guiding Wigan
to the FA Cup last May -- he will lead Everton into action in the
Capital One Cup second round at home to League One Stevenage on
Wednesday.
Midfielder Darron Gibson is back in training after missing the start of
the season with a knee problem, but is unlikely to be risked, while
centre-back Antolin Alcaraz is expected to return to full training at
the end of this week after more than a month out with a hamstring
injury.
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