Manchester United are close to signing Barcelona winger Pedro Rodriguez, according to reports in Spain. United chairman Ed Woordward was due in Spain yesterday to hold a meeting with Barcelona officials to reach an agreement over Pedro’s transfer.
The Red Devils are hoping to finalise a deal for Pedro in the coming days, with The Times claiming United have agreed to meet his €30m buy-out clause, in the Spaniard’s contract with Barcelona.
Pedro is a versatile forward who can play in all the positions upfront, won three La Liga titles and two Champions League under Pep Guardiola at the Nou Camp.
The Bayern Munich boss said in an interview: “He is one of the best players you can imagine. He’s won the European Cup and played millions of games for Barcelona. He can play in any team in the world.”
Guardiola has also commented on Manchester United’s new signing Bastian Schweinsteiger, where he praised the German skipper as a ‘top, top player’. However, Pep has cast doubts over the fitness of Schweinsteiger and believes the United’s new midfield signing has not been fully fit for the past three years.
Schweinsteiger joined United last month for a reported fee of 14.4m after spending 17 long years with Bayern. Pep is a huge admirer of Schweinsteiger’s talent, but it is his fitness that persuaded Bayern to sell the 31-year-old.
“When he does not have injury problems, I am completely convinced he will do very well at Manchester United,” Guardiola said.
“He is a top, top player. Unfortunately, the last three years he was never in good condition. He is going to play really well there [at United] — I really hope that is going to happen.”
Schweinsteiger’s fitness problems were evident during United’s pre-season tour to the United States last month. The German midfielder hasn’t made over 30 appearances in a season since 2010/11, and there are worries whether he can adapt to the physical rigours of the Barclays Premier League.
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