Barcelona Transfer News: Pedro Deal Reportedly Agreed, New Adama Traore Rumours

Barcelona and Manchester United have reportedly agreed to a deal for star forward Pedro, but the Spain international won't be leaving the Blaugrana until after their European Super Cup match against Sevilla.

According to Goal's Kris Voakes and Ignasi Oliva, the Red Devils will pay £22.3 million for the services of Pedro, who will replace Angel Di Maria at Old Trafford, with the latter on the verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain:

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Manchester United and Barcelona have reached agreement over the transfer of Pedro, but the Champions League holders are keen to retain the player until after next week's Uefa Super Cup.

The two sides have settled on a transfer fee of £18.1 million (€26m) initially, with a potential further £4.2m (€6m) to be paid in variable bonuses.

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Sky Sports provided a statistical breakdown of Pedro and Di Maria's 2014-15 campaigns:

The 28-year-old Pedro joined Barcelona's youth ranks in 2004 and played an integral part in the club's successful run under former manager Pep Guardiola. His role has diminished since then, and with Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez firmly entrenched in the starting XI, his chances for regular minutes with the Catalans in 2015-16 are slim.

Pedro signed a new contract with the club ahead of the summer transfer window, but the deal contained an agreement that would allow him to leave should the right offer come along. Manager Luis Enrique remains a fan of the Spaniard, but he recently admitted the decision to stay or leave would be Pedro's.

Via Goal, he said: “Pedro is a high-level player and as a coach I want him to stay here, but is his decision.”

While it's never easy to say goodbye to the club you've been part of for more than a decade, Pedro's decision to leave the Camp Nou would be an understandable one. Along with Messi, Neymar and Suarez, plenty of young talents are also on the verge of breaking out, including Munir El Haddadi and Adama Traore―more on him later.

The Blaugrana are still hampered by a transfer embargo that means even if a replacement for Pedro was bought during the summer, he wouldn't be able to make his debut until January. But the squad has the talent to cope with the loss of Pedro, opening the door for a transfer.

United need a star playmaker like Pedro and will undoubtedly be willing to pay top money for his services. The reported fee of £22.3 million seems fair value for a top player in the prime of his career, even if Barcelona won't be able to use the funds to secure a direct replacement.

Fans of the Red Devils shouldn't start cheering yet, and they'll likely hold off on doing that until the move has been made official and Pedro holds up a United shirt in front of the cameras. But this transfer feels almost inevitable, and an official announcement should be made real soon.

More Suitors for Adama Traore?

Young winger Traore is reportedly very popular among Premier League clubs, as Stoke City have reportedly joined Liverpool and Arsenal in the hunt for the 19-year-old, per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Express' James Cambridge).

Traore has reportedly already had dinner with the Potters and could be in line to join former Barcelona stars Marc Muniesa and Bojan at the Britannia Stadium:

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The 19-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Liverpool thought to be the frontrunners.

But it seems Stoke have stolen a march on their rivals, continuing Mark Hughes' campaign of targeting Barca players.

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Traore held talks with the Potters over dinner last night.

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Traore is widely considered to be among the best talents La Masia has produced in years and impressed during his time with Barcelona B, but like Pedro, his outlook to receiving playing time with the first team is bleak.

A loan move seems the logical next step, but plenty of top clubs have preferred to use permanent transfers with buyback clauses in the past few years. The Blaugrana inserted such a clause in the deal that sent Gerard Deulofeu to Everton for instance, via the Press Association (for the Guardian).

With such a deal, there's more of an incentive for the receiving club to develop the player. Loanees return to their parent club after a set time―unless they're ready to contribute immediately, they won't play all that much. In this case, Deulofeu is an Everton player, so the Toffees will develop him for their own gain and make a profit should Barcelona buy him back.

There are always risks involved with deals like this, and given Traore's enormous potential, fans won't be happy to see him go. But this is how the top clubs do business these days, and unless you're good enough to unseat one of the starters, chances with the starting XI will be scarce.

A move away from Barcelona doesn't have to be the end of Traore's Blaugrana career, and the youngster has the talent to be a smash hit in the Premier League and continue his development the next few seasons.

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