Manchester United Transfer News: Pedro Agrees Terms, Zlatan Ibrahimovic Rumours

Manchester United have agreed personal terms with Barcelona winger Pedro ahead of a potential transfer to Old Trafford.

That's according to Guillem Balague on Sky Sports, who claimed the Spanish international has opted to join the Red Devils despite late interest from Manchester City. However, Mari Carmen Torres of Marca reports that the two clubs have yet to agree on a transfer fee, with the La Liga giants holding out for the full €30 million release clause.

Torres' piece suggests that a deal is still likely to go ahead, but it would seem United boss Louis van Gaal isn't completely satisfied with this potential purchase.

Ian Ladyman of the MailOnline wrote that while United’s chief executive Ed Woodward has been in Catalonia trying to finalise a deal for the Barcelona man, the Dutch coach has let slip that he's a little unsure about whether he has enough pace. David McDonnell of the Daily Mirror also reports these concerns.

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Van Gaal has previously cited the need to sign a player who possesses “speed and creativity,” per Joe Bernstein of the Mail on Sunday. But his reservations seem peculiar about the Blaugrana star. After all, as we can see here, his blistering pace is one of Pedro’s most important attributes:

Although United have six points from six on the board so far in the Premier League, aside from Memphis Depay, there is a clear lack of dynamism in attacking areas. Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata are both fine players, but in order to appropriately flourish, they need sharp forwards around them.

At the moment, there simply isn’t enough vibrancy in the team; James Robson of the Manchester Evening News thinks Pedro will bring those traits, but the Red Devils still need more:

While his speed will naturally deteriorate as he gets older, there’s little to suggest in Pedro's recent displays that he’s lost his legs. Indeed, the Spanish international was sharp to react fastest to a loose ball and score the winning goal for Barcelona against Sevilla in their recent European Super Cup win.

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Spanish football expert Rafael Hernandez summed up the kind of qualities United would be getting in the wake of that winning goal in Tbilisi:

With regular minutes on the pitch, Pedro will be looking to rediscover the spark that made him such a key player under the tutelage of former manager Pep Guardiola. If he does so, the United fans will be in for some enthralling afternoons at Old Trafford and any fears about his speed will be quickly allayed for a grateful Van Gaal.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the Move?

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According to Sami Mokbel of the MailOnline, the Red Devils and Arsenal have been put on “red alert,” with Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic reportedly told he can leave the club in this transfer window. 

Mokbel suggested the player would be available for a small fee and cited a source from the French capital who states the striker would “not be expensive, although everyone knows his wages are huge and there will be no re-sale value.”

For United, Ibrahimovic could potentially be a major coup. As we can see here, the Swede is one of the very best strikers in world football:

Aside from Rooney, the Red Devils don’t have great depth in the centre-forward positions, with the one-dimensional Javier Hernandez and young James Wilson the only other natural fits. As such, Ibrahimovic would add a major dose of quality to the point of the attack, not to mention a completely different dimension to the United's forward forays.

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The Premier League may appeal to Zlatan too. After all, he’s won titles in Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands; at the age of 33, this could be his final crack at playing in English football. But as noted by Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Johnson, reports in France earlier in the pre-season suggested he was focused on performing well for PSG:

If the Parisians have agreed to let Ibrahimovic leave the club this summer, he would be a perfect purchase for the Red Devils. After all, there seems to be a scarcity of attacking talent available in the window this summer and while Ibrahimovic would command a lucrative salary, he could be the short-term fix the team needs.

But given his popularity in the French capital, influence on the team and remarkable ability to alter the course of a match in an instance, it’d be a major surprise to see PSG let their talisman leave the club so late in the window.