 Newcastle United could make Wigan left-back Leighton Baines the first signing of a cash-laden era at St James' Park. The 22-year-old Merseysider is thought to be high on the Toon shopping list, with the defender keen on progressing his career on the bigger stage. And should sports tycoon Mike Ashley be successful in his takeover bid, then the chances of landing Baines would undoubtedly increase. Baines' £5m price tag would be a drop in the ocean for the 42-year-old billionaire, who is now being branded the Geordie Roman Abramovich. Baines apparently feels that he has taken his career as far as he can with the Latics. He is concerned he will not progress into the full England set-up after 11 under-21 caps, having been overlooked by Steve McClaren in recent squads, unless he moves to a bigger club. New Toon boss Sam Allardyce is believed to be a long-time admirer of Baines and it is no secret that United are seeking a new left-back, with Celestine Babayaro's future on Tyneside uncertain. Baines was also a big fan of departed boss Paul Jewell and, having come through the club's youth system under his watchful eye, he signed his contract under assurances that the Scouser would remain in charge. However, despite the fact that Ashley is also thought to hold a 19% stake in Wigan chairman Dave Whelan's JJB Sports company, he has a frosty relationship with the man who put the Latics on to the Premiership map. Nevertheless, Whelan will not want a disgruntled player on his hands and has promised new boss Chris Hutchings a transfer kitty of his own, meaning any funds earned by the sale of Baines would go straight into his spending pot. Baines has three years left on his contract and has also attracted interest from Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal, but he knows that he would walk into St James' Park as the first- choice left-back. And he will head to Holland for the European Under-21 Championships this summer as part of an England squad which includes the United duo of James Milner and Steven Taylor. Yet even though fans were toasting the arrival of Ashley last night after he snapped up over 41% of the club's shares, there is still plenty of work to be done at boardroom level, and it could take some time before Allardyce knows exactly how much transfer cash will be at his disposal. However, Ashley's swoop for Newcastle will surely encourage Michael Owen that the future is bright at Newcastle. The England striker has been linked with a move away from St James' Park to one of the Premiership's top four. But with no takers so far, and a potential new cash injection imminent, Owen could now regard Tyneside as the place to be for the rest of his career. Owen has still to sit down with Allardyce, but the same goes for the rest of the players, with the manager still on holiday until next week. | 
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