Baines’ long-term future at Everton is in doubt with little left on his contract.
Former England defender Danny Mills has told Everton’s official website that the club must do all they can to keep veteran left-back Leighton Baines at Goodison Park.
Baines, now 33, has spent much of the season on the sidelines with a muscle problem but has since returned to finally solve the Toffees’ lack of a left-back – with right-footed fringe player Cuco Martina replacing him in Baines’ absence.
The former Wigan Athletic defender has just one more year left on his contract on Merseyside, which the Daily Star claim is worth £70,000 a week.
Mills, who turned out for the likes of Leeds United and Manchester City throughout his career before becoming a pundit at BBC Sport, believes Baines still has a lot to offer and compared him to John Terry’s influence at Chelsea.
“Leighton has done exceptionally well to get fit and come back so strongly,” Mills said.
“The senior players are vital at any club. With defenders, especially, it is not always about running and being the fittest and fastest. It is about experience, mentality, putting yourself in the right position and using all those things you have learned.
“Look at John Terry, in his mid-30s for Chelsea he was Premier League defender of the year and one of the best players in the division after he had been written off two or three years earlier.
“It is about experience and how to manage situations and Leighton Baines still has a lot to offer Everton.”
Baines has shown his impact in defence since his return, helping the Toffees keep two clean sheets in four Premier League games including Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Merseyside rivals Liverpool.
But he has also been just as effective going forward, scoring three goals and laying on the same amount in assists this season. He is expected to start on Saturday as the Toffees travel to Wales to face Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
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