Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has strongly hinted at a move to sign Barcelona winger Pedro this summer if his side are to be title contenders, according to The Sun.
The Dutchman spoke exclusively to SunSport about what his side needs in attack, and he mentioned the Spanish international as an example of a pacey and creative attacking midfielder who’d help the club match up with rivals Chelsea, as well as rivals on the European stage like Bayern Munich.
“Barcelona have the speed of Neymar and Messi — and they have Pedro behind them,” he explained.
“We have to compete with that. We can win the title if we can buy players with speed and creativity. We have to improve our selection in that way.
“Bayern Munich have Ribery and Robben. After that they can change with Muller and they also had Shaqiri at other times.
“They are our competitors. Chelsea have Hazard, Willian, Oscar — that is speed and creativity.”
Although Pedro is regarded as one of the finest wide-players in Europe and has attracted plenty of interest from big clubs this summer (such as Chelsea, according to the Independent), he has seemingly become available due to losing his place in the Barca starting lineup.
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With big names like Luis Suarez and Neymar now ahead of the 27-year-old in the pecking order to partner Lionel Messi, it is perhaps little surprise that he has struggled for playing time and could need to move to ensure he is getting the regular action he wants.
Pedro would be a fine signing to replace Angel Di Maria as Sky Sports report that he is close to sealing a move away from Old Trafford to join Paris Saint-Germain, with just a fee to be finalised before the Argentine heads for the French capital, leaving something of a gap in the attacking midfield area.