Manchester United Transfer News: Is Jordy Alba Making a Move to Old Trafford?

Once again, Manchester United are engrossed in a close battle with Barcelona—except that this time, it's not taking place on the pitch. The Red Devils are fighting off Camp Nou for Valencia defender Jordi Alba, who is seemingly in hot demand this transfer window.

According to CaughtOffside.com, Sir Alex Ferguson sees Alba as a potential replacement for Patrice Evra at left-back, with Alba of such high quality that he could even push the international defender for his starting position should he arrive at Old Trafford.

United are prepared to be willing to offer Brazilian midfielder Anderson plus some additional money for the 23-year-old, with the latter of those options certainly attractive for the La Liga club.

Despite securing Champions League qualification and losing a number of quality players in the past season, Mauricio Pellegrino's club may be left with no alternative but to sell the Spanish defender, with the club continuing to face financial difficulties.

Sir Alex Ferguson has scouted Alba on several occasions and continues to be highly impressive with his work ethic and skills.

Alba led Valencia in assists throughout La Liga this season as well as averaging 2.2 tackles and 3.2 interceptions per game, according to Whoscored.com. As a result, Alba has included in the Spanish team and will feature prominently throughout Euro 2012.

Manchester United may will be eager to finish the deal before the commencement of the tournament, with a strong performance likely to boost the defender's already-growing cost.

However, it appears for now at least that once again the Catalan team have gotten the better of Manchester United, with Barca the favorites to land Alba.

Respected Spanish journalist Guillem Balague tweeted last night:

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"Jordi Alba has got an agreement with Barcelona, but FCB needs to reach a deal with Valencia (his deal finishes in 2013)..."

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Since Alba is a Barcelona academy graduate, Barcelona do hold the upper hand over United in securing his signature, and it seems that once again the Red Devils have fallen to Barcelona on the international stage.

I'd love to hear your thoughts— comment below or  Follow @dantalintyre

Where do you think Jordi Alba will go—Manchester United or Barcelona?