Manchester United are the only club to have submitted an official bid to sign Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, a source has told ESPN FC, despite reports that Chelsea are attempting to hijack the transfer.
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The Saints have only held talks over Shaw, 18, with United, and the Red Devils' 27 million-pound offer, which has been on the table for some time, is still under discussion.
Ashley Cole's departure from Chelsea sparked rumours that the West London club would launch a rival bid for the England international, but an offer has yet to materialise.
BBC Sport reported that United and Southampton were due to stage another round of talks over Shaw's future on Friday, with a move to Old Trafford said to be imminent for the defender, who will fly to Miami with the England squad on Sunday ahead of the World Cup.
ESPN FC reported in January that United had submitted a bid to sign Shaw, but that offer was knocked back after Southampton chose not to consider the sale of any of their star players midway through the season.
United made Southampton aware that their interest in Shaw remained firm in the months that followed their initial enquiry, with talks then taking place after the Premier League match between the two sides at St Mary's on May 11.
Now it seems as if the deal is edging towards a conclusion, with the departure of manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham earlier this week another blow for Southampton following their successful Premier League campaign.
News that Rickie Lambert is on the brink of a four million-pound move to Liverpool has done little to lift the gloom, while Saints officials were hoping to avoid a flurry of transfer activity with the club's season-ticket renewal date passing on May 30.
Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger, however, has tried to calm the tension among the club's supporters.
He told the Southern Daily Echo: "It's very clear that we are in control of all the player transfers. All the top players are under long-term contracts.
"Any transfers that take place will be under our terms. We will decide the terms to potential transfers in and out of the club."