Gerard Pique Transfer from Barca to Man United Would Not Make Sense Right Now

There has been plenty of transfer speculation about the future of Gerard Pique; many are linking him with a return to England.

Spanish daily Sport’s Paul Giblin claims that Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are ready to try and lure the defender back to the Premier League.

Of the three clubs, the strongest link is to United, where he signed his first professional contract.

The likelihood is that the other two clubs have been introduced to the equation by someone looking to either encourage Louis van Gaal's side to make a move, or force Barcelona into sticking with their defender.

From a media point of view, a transfer to Manchester United has a lot of traction. Pique is currently in Barcelona manager Luis Enrique’s bad books.

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He was pictured staring at his phone for periods of the Catalan Super Cup clash with Espanyol while on the bench, next to a thoroughly unimpressed Luis Suarez. Then, before the penalty shootout, he was spotted clowning around.

It has been a recurring theme this season, starting off with the stink bombs he launched on the club’s pre-season trip to Helsinki.

Having seen Cesc Fabregas rejuvenated at Chelsea this season, Pique might feel like the time is ripe for him to flee the nest in Catalonia once again.

Manchester United’s defence could certainly use another body. Michael Carrick was forced to play there against Manchester City in the derby after the appalling Chris Smalling was sent off.

Van Gaal needs to bring in another defender in January if the club are to have any chance of getting back in to the Champions League.

With Pique out of favour at Barcelona, having been left out of the squad for the game against Celta Vigo last weekend and left on the bench against Ajax on Wednesday night, the Red Devils might see it as an opportunity to strike.

Pique has only started seven of Barcelona’s 14 games in La Liga and the Champions League this season, with Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu being Enrique’s preferred central defensive partnership.

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However, there are a lot of reasons why the move doesn't make sense for either Barcelona or Manchester United.

For one, Barcelona are currently banned from buying players until January 2016. If they lose Pique, they will have to replace him with a youth player.

Of Barcelona’s young defenders Edgar Ie is probably the best, but he is far from ready to play first-team football.

Thomas Vermaelen has been injured since arriving in the summer and has shown no signs that he is ready to play for Barcelona any time soon.

Meanwhile, Mathieu is also currently out, suffering his third problem since joining from Valencia in the summer. At 31 years old, these injuries may become more frequent.

Marc Bartra, who played well in Pique’s stead against Ajax, is not fully trusted by Enrique. The Asturian coach may use him more in the weeks ahead, but to date Bartra has rarely been selected.

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Mascherano will be needed in midfield if Sergio Busquets is injured—and many Barcelona fans believe he should be played there anyway.

Giblin explained that Manchester United were willing to pay €25 million for the Spanish centre-back, but given how poorly he has played this season, that does not seem like a good deal.

Pique has been at fault for a handful of mistakes this season, including giving away a penalty against Real Madrid.

Of course, having seen Van Gaal splash the cash on players like Marcos Rojo in the summer, that doesn't necessarily prevent him from doing it again.

The problem is, Pique would at present only be a slight upgrade on a poor defence. He has lost his magic.

Without the wise head of Carles Puyol in the back line, Pique seems unsure of himself. When paired with Mascherano it is a partnership that looks extremely vulnerable to any sort of attack featuring physicality and guile.

There is no defender at Manchester United that Pique would combine well with. If Nemanja Vidic was still there, then it might be a different story, with the Serb in charge of organisation and Pique doing the leg work.

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Furthermore, Van Gaal probably wouldn't stand for any of the (off-the-pitch) buffoonery exhibited by the defender this season.

Pique will also want to stay in Barcelona because it is his home. The player has been vocal in his support of Catalan nationalism, taking part in the street parades in the city.

There are a few reasons why a transfer to Manchester United makes sense for him and both clubs. But there are significantly more arguments against it.