Pedro to Manchester United: Red Devils looking to negotiate terms over player’s buy-out clause

Pedro has spent much of the La Liga season on the bench but started in last night's Spanish Super Cup match against Athletic Bilbao.

Pedro (Getty images)

Manchester United are continuing in their pursuit of Barcelona’s Pedro after the club are understood to have offered £17.7m plus £3.6m in add-ons for the Catalonian forward, according to reports.

Despite Barcelona’s best efforts to hold onto the player, United remain hugely interested in Pedro and are attempting to negotiate terms over his £21.3m buyout clause, the Daily Mail reports.

However, a conflicting report in The Guardian states that the winger could be re-thinking his move, unimpressed with the way Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has dealt with his former team-mate, and friend, Victor Valdes.

The goalkeeper has been frozen out of the squad after apparently refusing to play for the Under-21s; something Valdes refutes.

Despite starting against Athletic Bilbao in Barcelona’s 4-0 loss in the Spanish Super Cup, manager Luis Enrique admitted that Pedro’s future at the club remains uncertain.

He said: “We all know the situation that Pedro is experiencing.

“We want him to stay, but it’s a difficult decision. Nothing has changed yet, but it will change.

“Pedro is in a difficult situation. He’s a player who wants to stay but also wants more minutes. All the fans understand the Pedro situation.”

Enrique added: “He has been, is and always be loved by Catalans because of his professionalism.”

For the majority of last season, Pedro has remained as a second-choice forward for Enrique starting in 15 out of 35 La Liga appearances.

Fellow Spaniard Fernando Torres has encouraged his “good friend” to make the switch to United, arguing that he has “everything to succeed in the Premier League”.

Torres told the Daily Mirror: “He is a good friend, and if he decides that England is the next step in his career, I am sure he will do very well there,”

“He has all the ability you would expect from a player who has been at Barcelona for so many years, but also he has a great work ethic.

"He works hard, he will help defend, he won’t be bullied, he has everything to succeed in the Premier League.

“I think he will find it very hard to leave Barcelona, but I understand as much as anybody how important it is to be playing regularly — especially once you reach a certain age. You need to be at a club where you are playing a lot of football.”