Man United Favourites to Complete £15.4m Deal to Sign Hugely Talented Barcelona Midfielder Thiago Alcantara

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Nou Camp youngster wants to leave and Old Trafford could well be his next destination.

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Man United are reportedly the front-runners to sign highly rated Spanish international Thiago Alcantara according to the Daily Express.

The 22 year old has struggled to get a toe hold in Barcelona’s first team set-up since making his debut for the Catalan club in May 2009, collecting just 41 La Liga starts in five seasons, and is said to have stated his intention to leave this summer.

Alcantara has a release clause set at a very manageable €18m (£15.4m) a figure that could have been as high as €90m (£77m) had Barcelona handed the talented midfielder the requisite amount of playing time to alter the terms of his contract.

With the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas ahead of him in Tito Vilanova’s first team pecking order it is fairly sensible to consider a move away from Barcelona in order to improve his career progression and David Moyes is certainly in the market for fresh midfield options.

With Paul Scholes bowing out of the game and Darren Fletcher still recovering from illness there is a sense that Moyes sees his midfield as a potential area of weakness and if you factor in Anderson’s average form and Tom Cleverley going off the boil in the second half of last season it’s fair to say that in terms of central midfield options the incoming Old Trafford boss pretty much only has Michael Carrick he can truly rely on.

Alcantara would be a very wise investment and at this price a very sound financial one to boot.

The youngster has been excellent as captain of the Spanish Under 21 side this summer, helping his side to retain their European Under 21 Championship title, scoring a hat-trick in Spain’s 4-2 final win no less.

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