Manchester United Transfer News: Red Devils Must Complete Thiago Alcantara Move

Manchester United have emerged as the chief threat to Barcelona in the courting of midfielder Thiago Alcantara. For the Red Devils, this deal cannot get done soon enough.

United have been aggressive in wooing Thiago and are preparing to make a massive offer for the 22-year-old, according to Charles Perrin of the Daily Express. 

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Manchester United are willing to triple Thiago Alcantara's salary to prise him from Barcelona. 

David Moyes is optimistic of securing a £15.4m deal for the midfielder despite Bayern Munich showing late interest.

Thiago Alcantara's exit clause plummeted from £77m as he failed to participate in the stipulated amount of games.

A report on football site Goal has it that Barcelona have already made a last-ditch attempt to keep Alcantara at the Camp Nou after his father, Mazinho met with chairman Sandro Rossell last week.

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Here's the link to the aforementioned Goal.com report from Paul Clennam, which stated Alcantara planned to meet with Barcelona to express his interest in leaving Camp Nou.

Alcantara was one of the biggest contributors to Spain's retention of the U-21 European Championships title last month, where his hat-trick against Italy secured the championship. 

However, he's rarely been able to notch first-team playing time in Barcelona. Sitting behind Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the depth chart will do that to you.

Thiago's lack of playing time did Manchester United a big favor in making the 22-year-old prodigy more available. Since he didn't play in at least 60 percent of Barcelona's season, his buyout fee dropped from £77 million to £15.4 million, as stated above. 

The price should make the Red Devils move immediately toward securing this deal. Alcantara's emergence and massive potential make him a player who would be quite untouchable if it weren't for his buyout clause. 

It also doesn't hurt that United are desperate to add a long-term answer at midfield. Ryan Giggs is 39 years old and has his sights set way past his playing days, while 31-year-old Michael Carrick isn't getting any younger.

Plus, this move would be a huge first impression for new manager David Moyes. One of the biggest question marks heading into his tenure was how he'd handle a transfer window that Sir Alex Ferguson typically dominated. 

United have a strong core of young players who are ready to step into bigger roles, and Thiago could really spearhead that movement. Alongside Javier Hernandez and Shinji Kagawa, the new age of the Red Devils will be very bright.

The stars have aligned perfectly for Thiago Alcantara to head to Old Trafford, now all that's left is for United to seal the deal.