Manchester United Transfer News: Gerard Pique Hopes Grow, Juan Cuadrado Latest

Manchester United are "confident" of being able to lure Gerard Pique back to Old Trafford from Barcelona, according to reports.

Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star believes Louis van Gaal is "desperate" to improve his defence. He reported comments from an inside "club source," who suggested United are looking to re-sign the 27-year-old centre-back:

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The manager knows he still needs to strengthen his defence and he would love to sign Pique. He is a former United player so he knows the club and Pique is a player he can build his defence around. Signing him from Barcelona won't be easy though.

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United's defence continues to halt progress made across the rest of the pitch. As highlighted during the 2-2 draw with West Brom, individuals such as Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw are prone to stuttering with momentary lapses that leave United in trouble.

Shaw was easily beaten before Stephane Sessegnon's opener, while Phil Jones was clumsily out of position before Saido Berahino slotted home the second. Minor mistakes such as these threaten to seriously dismantle an already poor season for the club.

Senior centre-backs Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling have all struggled to impose themselves now Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have departed. Pique could provide an instant improvement. Although the Spaniard has suffered bouts of inconsistency over the last couple of seasons, he is capable of leading United's less experienced defenders.

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Blaugrana boss Luis Enrique has rotated Pique alongside Jeremy Mathieu and Javier Mascherano this season—with Pique starting five of 10 matches across La Liga and the Champions League, per WhoScored.com—indicating he may become surplus to requirements as the manager continues to shape his squad.

United have enough pace and technical ability in their back line. A physically dominant, tactically aware player is needed. Pique isn't the type to get dragged out of position and would allow the side to stand tall, even when Jones decides to try and intercept balls on the halfway line.

The Telegraph tweeted a potential fee of £20 million for the player:

In September, Charlie Skillen of the Daily Mail wrote a potential move is "likely to be scuppered by pop star Shakira," reported via Manolete of AS (in Spanish). The Colombian singer is reportedly unwilling to swap Barcelona for Manchester, meaning family ties could end a deal that makes sense on the footballing side of things.

One player who won't be heading to the Theatre of Dreams is versatile winger Juan Cuadrado. The Fiorentina favourite's new contract is "almost done," according to Sky Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio, despite reports across the summer, such as this from the Express' Teddy Cutler, linking him to United.

The World Cup hero would have aided United's options on either flank and in the full-back position, but he certainly wouldn't have been an essential purchase. Defensive acquisitions should remain the priority, while the midfield still needs beefing up with an aggressive physical type.

Former Reds legend Paul McGrath summed the situation up:

United's prospects for the season will be fully laid out across the next month. Matches with Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal are likely to up the need for new defenders even further. Van Gaal's men have conceded a total of seven in their last two away matches against limited opposition in Leicester and West Brom, so it's daunting to think how trips to the Etihad and Emirates will pan out in the current situation.

Pique wouldn't provide a complete solution in the long-term—Van Gaal would still need additional quality at the back—but he can certainly plug gaps. There's big decisions to be made, and even more money to be thrown around in January, so the Dutch manager will be looking to land proven experience.

Whether or not United are still challenging for a top-four spot by the time a defender arrives, however, remains to be seen.