Bad news for Man Utd, Barcelona set sights on key duo and PL rivals not safe either

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Barcelona have enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, but reports claim that they’re still scouring the market looking for reinforcements.

Ernesto Valverde has had quite the start to life in the Nou Camp hotseat, leading the Blaugrana to top spot in La Liga after 11 games with a four-point lead over their nearest rivals, while they also lead the way in their Champions League group.

In turn, they appear to have the quality and depth required thus far to compete on various fronts, but it seems they have plans for the long-term future too to ensure that they continue to remain at the top, according to reports.

As reported by The Sun, the Catalan giants have scouted Manchester United duo Eric Bailly and Marcus Rashford, while Chelsea ace Marcos Alonso is also seemingly on their transfer radar.

Injuries have been a problem for Bailly in more recent times, but he certainly made a positive impact at Old Trafford last season after sealing his move from Villarreal.

With Barca light on long-term options at the back beyond first-choice pairing Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti, it’s a move that makes sense but surely Jose Mourinho will have no intention of allowing Bailly to leave given his importance to the team and with such a long way in his career to go to improve and develop further.

The same could be said of Rashford who hasn’t managed to hit the heights that he reached in his breakout season with eight goals in 18 appearances from January 2016 to the end of the season, while he had 11 in 53 last year in all competitions.

He has improved this year in terms of his goal tally though with seven in 18 so far, and as a youngster who came through the ranks to establish himself as the latest in the long list of youth products to make an impression at senior level, he will undoubtedly be valued highly at Old Trafford.

As for Alonso, that would also seemingly be a difficult deal for Barcelona to complete given Antonio Conte has little to no cover behind the Spaniard on the left flank at this point.

That’s reflected in the fact that Alonso has been an almost ever-present again this season, and so the last thing Conte needs is to sell him when he needs to add more in that department.

Nevertheless, reported interest from Barcelona alone will be a concern as we await to see what moves the Spanish outfit make next year.

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