Manchester United Transfer News: Pedro Wanted by Louis Van Gaal in €30M Rumour

Manchester United are among three Premier League clubs keeping an eye on Barcelona's Pedro, a player the Camp Nou club are now prepared to sell, according to reports on Monday.

Moises Llorens of AS suggests that Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho are "paying close attention" to the versatile forward, while Arsenal "stand out as a potential destination" after allegedly enquiring about his availability last summer. Pedro is an individual of considerable pedigree—a World Cup and two-time Champions League winner—someone who has the quality to play a major role at an elite club.

He is an unfortunate victim of Barcelona's improving attacking trident—made up of Lionel Messi, Neymar and summer signing Luis Suarez—and has been limited to playing a bit-part role. Of Pedro's 30 appearances across all competitions this season, just 16 have been starts, per WhoScored.com.

He has completed 90 minutes only three times since the turn of the year and is often overlooked for Barca's most important matches. Pedro played 21 minutes in October's Clasico, a combined total of 13 minutes in three matches against Atletico Madrid and just 10 minutes during the recent win over Manchester City, per WhoScored.com. He is overlooked or severely stifled at best.

However, the 27-year-old has still managed to prove he can seriously improve the chances of a side such as United. He has scored 10 goals and provided five assists throughout the campaign, recorded by WhoScored.com, providing width when Luis Enrique feels the need to mix things up. Unlike the aforementioned trio ahead of him, Pedro doesn't roam so naturally and is more likely to stick to his position.

Van Gaal's team have lacked quality from the wings, often overlooking the use of play down the flank altogether. Saturday's win over Sunderland saw the Red Devils revert to something resembling a traditional 4-4-2 formation, armed with wingers rather than attacking full-backs, which saw Ashley Young and Adnan Januzaj (after he replaced Angel Di Maria at half-time) terrorise the Black Cats' defence.

This led to United enjoying a far more solid base without sacrificing the creative output of the team, per Squawka:

Even so, questions remain over United's best starting lineup, which was recently discussed by B/R UK's Ryan Bailey and Sam Tighe:

Pedro could easily slot into a role on either flank, particularly as United desperately need pace to stretch teams. Llorens noted that "a projected fee of between €25 and €30 million has been cited," which is money United can afford.

"I have a contract, but one can never tell what may happen," Pedro recently stated, per Llorens. Although Barcelona's current transfer ban would stop them being able to replace the player until January 2016, he is certainly a candidate to move on.

The club cannot afford to keep hold of unnecessary players if they wish to continue investing during the era of financial fair play. It would be more beneficial to sell Pedro in the summer before his value drops because his current contract expires at the end of the following season.

Van Gaal needs players who have a point to prove. This hunger could help United overcome a difficult period in which a faltering squad continues to suggest they will miss out on Champions League qualification for a second season in a row.

If this happens and Chelsea or Arsenal come calling for Pedro, it's most likely the Spaniard will choose to play elsewhere. He certainly doesn't need to worry about not being picked up by a Champions League-standard club if Barca opt to sell, meaning Van Gaal's reported interest may never be allowed to develop if United fall short in the coming weeks.