Barcelona could make Manchester United the ultimate laughing stock of the January transfer window.
According to ESPN, the Catalan giants are planning a late move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes in a deal involving Valencia striker Rodrigo.
Fernandes’ future has been the transfer saga of the month and it appears that United will not enter February having signed the 25-year-old.
As reported by Miguel Delaney of the Independent, United’s pursuit of Fernandes is set to fail as the two clubs remain up to £20m apart in their valuation for the playmaker.
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Delaney’s report claims Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is preparing for the prospect of making no signings at all this month, despite his depleted squad being in despite need of additions.
And ESPN sources suggest Barcelona are pushing for Rodrigo and may use Fernandes in a deal to persuade fellow La Liga side Valencia to sell.
Fernandes would sign for the Nou Camp club before immediately joining Valencia on loan.
While we can see Fernandes not joining United before the Friday deadline, this seems a far-fetched move and extremely ambitious from Barcelona.
Fernandes is a quality player in his own right and we doubt he’d be used as a makeweight in a potential loan swap.
Regardless, it’s shameful that United could end the month without signing a player of Fernandes’ ilk. It was obvious in the summer that a creative midfielder was required and it appears the glaring issue won’t be addressed this month either.
So far in three transfer windows under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United have made three signings for the first-team.
