Sergi Roberto Bid Reportedly Made by Manchester United Amid Chelsea Rumours

Manchester United have reportedly made a €40 million (£36 million) bid for Barcelona star Sergi Roberto, but they will face competition from Chelsea for his signature. 

Mundo Deportivo's Edu Polo noted United have turned their attention to Roberto to provide cover in midfield and at right-back because of AS Monaco's unwillingness to part with Fabinho  (h/t Metro).

Barcelona are "adamant" he will not be allowed to leave, though, and they turned down United's first offer.

After Neymar's departure to Paris Saint-Germain, the Catalan giants are keen to keep their remaining squad together. However, as they target midfield reinforcements after bringing in right-back Nelson Semedo, Roberto may not be needed at the Camp Nou for too much longer.

The 25-year-old has spent his entire career at Barcelona but has only made a relatively modest 152 senior appearances for them in total, 47 of which were last season.

Perhaps as a result, Rafael Hernandez of Barca fan site Grup 14 believes Roberto still has room to grow as a player:

He also believes the player himself will decide his own future and will most likely opt to stay:

Roberto was responsible for the best moment of Barca's 2016/17 campaign when he netted their last-gasp winner over PSG to complete the 6-5 aggregate comeback in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

The Spaniard predominantly played as a right-back last year and managed to showcase his impressive creativity from that position, per La Liga's official Twitter account:

While he still has room to develop his game further, he would make for a strong acquisition for United.

Having come through Barca's Masia academy, he may aim to stay at the Camp Nou and attempt to nail down a starting berth next season. But if the club does bring in more midfield options, he may find his role restricted as it has been in the past.

If that is the case, the player may be better off joining a club where opportunities will be more forthcoming.