Man Utd: Fee Almost Agreed For 6th Summer Signing, LvG Trying To Push Through Deal

With the summer transfer window in full swing, managers are working hard trying to strengthen their squads ahead of next season so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Man Utd close-in on Pedro….

Manchester United are close to agreeing a deal to sign Pedro Rodriguez but are facing a battle with Barcelona over when the deal will eventually go through, according to Marca.

Pedro has been strongly linked with a move to United this summer with the Spanish international expected to leave the Nou Camp in search of regular first team football having fallen behind Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in the pecking order.

A move to Old Trafford looked to be on the cards as the Mirror reported earlier this week that executive vice chairman Ed Woodward held talks with the attacker’s agent ahead of their friendly game in the United States last weekend.

It appears things are now moving to a close as Marca claim that United are in negotiations with Barcelona and a deal worth around €30m-€32m including add ons is apparently on the verge of being agreed.

The Spanish daily newspaper suggests that while Luis Enrique is keen to keep hold of the 28-year-old, he won’t stand in the players way after he made it clear he wants to leave, but there is still a stumbling block over when the deal will go through.

Marca say that Louis van Gaal is trying to push the transfer through in time for Pedro to be available to face Tottenham in their Premier League opener next weekend but Barca are hoping to convince the player to remain in Spain until after their European Super Cup clash with Sevilla on August 11th.

With Messi and Neymar yet to return to pre-season training, Barca are worried they pair won’t be fit enough to play a significant part against Sevilla so want Pedro to stick around to play in the Super Cup final.

That would be a risky strategy for the player as any potential deal would be in jeopardy if he picked up an injury in that game, while United may also decide to move on to other targets if they feel they’re being messed about by the Catalan club.

However, I’m sure a compromise will be reached in the end and I fully expect Pedro to complete his move to Old Trafford to become United’s sixth major signing of the summer.

The Spaniard is likely to be a replacement for Angel Di Maria and I think he’ll prove to be a very useful addition to the squad as despite not always being a regular, Pedro managed to score 98 goals in 318 games for Barca so he’ll certainly offer a real threat in the final third.

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He’s also capable of playing anywhere across the attacking positions, including up front as a striker, so his versatility is sure to have appealed to United as he’ll give van Gaal plenty of options in attack.