Pedro to Manchester United: Barcelona 'temporarily block move' for winger... because Neymar has the mumps

Negotiations took place on Saturday

Tom Sheen
Monday 10 August 2015 13:34 EDT
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(Getty Images)

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Pedro's proposed move to Manchester United has been temporarily delayed by Barcelona because Neymar is ill with the mumps.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, United will have to wait for the Brazilian winger to return before they can make their move for the 28-year-old, as Barcelona want Pedro to play in the Super Cup tie against Sevilla.

Neymar is expected to be out for two weeks.

The report states that negotiations between Barcelona and United officials took place at Old Trafford on Saturday, before Neymar was diagnosed. It is unclear what price has been agreed, but Pedro has a release clause of €30million (£23m).

United remain firm that they want a deal to be completed as soon as possible with Louis van Gaal keen to have Pedro registered before Friday night's game at Aston Villa.

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes that Pedro will be a better fit at Old Trafford than record signing Angel Di Maria, who was sold last week for a £15million loss.

Neymar is out for around two weeks with the mumps
Neymar is out for around two weeks with the mumps (Getty Images)

"Manchester United will be getting an excellent player if they can complete the signing of Pedro," Henry said. "He was the perfect teammate for me at Barcelona because his understanding of wing play was second to none.

"No one was better at applying pressure from out wide. It is a position that is in his DNA. It's been drilled into him by a lifetime at the Nou Camp and why I believe he will be such an important acquisition for United.

"Louis van Gaal's teams play in a structured way. He wants his players to stick rigidly to their positions and maximise their area of the pitch. Angel Di Maria's game was based on running free from the right or the left. He didn't fit into Van Gaal's setup and that's why they have sold him.

"Pedro will be much more disciplined. He was more than important to Barcelona's success, even though he spent much of last season as backup for [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and [Luis] Suarez."

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