One man desperately wants to join Manchester United, the other would prefer to stay at Barcelona if only he could get the game time.
With Pedro all but out the Nou Camp door, the only question that needs to be settled is which Premier League side he will join.
The Spanish winger has reportedly agreed personal terms with United but Barca are not letting him go without getting €30m up front.
United would prefer to pay the final €5m in performance related add-ons but the vultures are circling.
The Daily Mail report that Chelsea are preparing a late swoop for Pedro while AS claim that Manchester City are now offering €32m in one bulging envelope/bank transfer.
If United were to somehow have the winger stolen from under their noses, there is a Benfica player screaming out for attention.
Argentine winger Nicolas Gaitan was on the cusp of a move to United in 2013 and 2014 but his name has been out of the newspapers – English, at least – this summer.
Portuguese newspaper Record reveals that Gaitan is still holding out for his desired move to Old Trafford and wants Benfica, his club, to spurn a €35m approach from Al Ahli so he can move to the Premier League.
Valencia and Atletico Madrid are monitoring the situation but United could well revisit the situation if their ‘Plan A’ goes elsewhere.
On Tuesday, we predicted a £40m Chelsea bid for John Stones before the end of the transfer window.
Well, Chelsea are not hanging about.
A £40m bid is being strongly considered by the powers that be at Stamford Bridge and could be whistled over to Everton any day now. [The Guardian]
The Telegraph run a similar piece but mention that cash plus Victor Moses or Bertrand Traore could be Chelsea’s next port of call.
Branislav Ivanovic has endured a shaky start to the season and Chelsea could alert suitors to the possibility of a late summer transfer by dropping the Serb for new signing Abdul Baba Rahman this weekend. [The Mirror].
We leave this United- and Chelsea-heavy round-up with the opportunistic news that Fenerbahce have made an inquiry about John Terry after he was benched in the Manchester City loss. The Turkish side want to offer the 34-year-old £2.5m a season to sweeten the crossing.
