Without going into much details about who reported what, the general feeling one gets from the press, both British and the Spanish, is that Manchester United are interested in signing Pedro Rodriguez from Barcelona.
Pedro is concerned with the game time, or the lack of it, at Barcelona. The front three attacking triumvirate of Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi is a dream combination for Barcelona (or any team for that matter), and needless to say, these three played a major role for the Blaugrana last season, as the club won a historic treble under Luis Enrique. Pedro, despite being assured of regular game time, found hard to force his way into the first team.
The 27-year-old Spain forward has a €30m release clause in his contract, and has been chased by other heavy weight Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea. Manchester United are bit late in joining the race for Pedro but it seems they have a genuine interest in signing the player. Here are five reasons why Pedro would be a brilliant signing for the Red Devils.
Watch out on the finance
Any move for Pedro will be inextricably linked with the departure of Angel di Maria from Old Trafford. Manchester United are demanding a handsome fee for the Argentine, who had failed to settled in at the club, both on and off the pitch. United broke the transfer record last summer to sign him from Real Madrid, and the club will be expecting to recoup that money, while selling him to PSG.
Louis van Gaal has already stated that he will not prevent Di Maria from leaving the club, if the player wishes to move on and the price is right. The club will demand a fee anything between €65-75m for Di Maria, which to be honest, is a fair deal.
United then would spend a portion of the money from Di Maria’s sale to sign Pedro. The Spaniard has a reported release clause of €30m, but United could get him for a slightly reduced price. Never-the-less, even at €30m, it is a cracking piece of business. Usually you don’t get a Champions League and a World Cup winner, who is playing at the peak of his career, at such a knock down price.
World class talent, proven champion
Pedro is not a complete forward like Suarez, but then again, there aren’t many players in the world who belong to that elite levels. Pedro is good at many other things and therefore he is an asset for his side. He has been an integral part of Barcelona over the last seven years, and played a huge contribution in these trophy-laden years at the Camp Nou. It’s unfortunate that he has to fight against probably the three best players in the world right now (leaving aside Ronaldo) and therefore one cannot blame him for failing to dislodge either of them from the starting line up.
Take a look at his trophy cabinet & it will embarrass the entire Liverpool team: Five La Liga titles, Three Copa del Rey, Three Super Copa, Three Champions League (only!), Two FIFA Club World Cup & winners of FIFA World Cup & Euro Cup as well.
He is proven winner. He would bring his winning mentality at the club. As you can see, he is hugely successful in both club and international levels, and his wealth of experience (mind, he is 27) will prove handy to any side in the world.
Proven goal scorer – just what United need
Manchester United will be looking to sign a striker in the summer. Robin van Persie has already left the club and Javier Hernandez’s future still hangs in balance. James Wilson not yet ready to play week in week out which leaves Wayne Rooney as the only striker in the team at the moment.
Van Gaal has abandoned United’s longstanding policy of operating with four strikers, as he personally prefers a 4-3-3 system where one striker should be enough for the lead role and rest as supporting cast, but he still needs players who can score goals regularly.
Pedro is a proven goal scorer. A sly fox in the box, he has a better goal scoring record than any of United’s present wingers / attacking midfield players. Over 10 goals a season is guaranteed from him, while he has scored 20 goals a season twice in his career, when given a free role.
Better than other wingers / forwards at United
Pedro is a different type of player to Di Maria. While Di Maria has an eye for pass and creativity, Pedro is a better finisher and therefore he is a proven match winner. He is technically gifted, can track back and put in defensive shifts, and has an impeccable positional awareness.
He is definitely better than Young, Valencia, and Januzaj (unproven at this level) and would be a fantastic replacement for Di Maria. He would add goals to the team, something Van Gaal would be needing desperately from his attacking forwards next season. What are you waiting for you, Louis?
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