Barcelona Transfer News: Pedro Hands Manchester United Deadline, Latest Rumours

Barcelona star Pedro has reportedly given Manchester United a deadline of completing his transfer by the weekend.

According to Francesc Aguilar of Mundo Deportivo (via Rhys Turrell of the Daily Star) "Pedro is fed up with the deal dragging on" and "wants the transfer sorted by the end of the week."

For Sky Sports, B/R's Guillem Balague reported that United "have agreed personal terms" with the Spaniard, with Red Devils executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward personally travelling to Barcelona to hash out the deal.

The only point of contention now between the two clubs is the forward's transfer fee, but speaking to Revista de La Liga Balague said "the word is that a deal will be done this week one way or another."

Nevertheless, Sky Germany's Jan Aage Fjortoft is unconvinced:

However, both Pedro's hopes of resolving the saga quickly and United's reluctance to meet his £21.2 million release clause are understandable.

The 28-year-old has been with the Blaugrana for 11 successful years, but with first-team football likely to be something of a rarity this season, Pedro is reluctantly getting ready to bid an emotional farewell to the Blaugrana.

Per BBC Sport, Pedro recently described the saga to a Spanish broadcaster as a "difficult, complicated situation." More than likely, he simply wants his future to be resolved sooner rather than later so he can begin to move on.

Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press

As for the Red Devils, they recently made a £15 million loss by selling Angel Di Maria to Paris Saint-Germain just 12 months after buying him, according to Sean Gallagher of the Daily Mail.

For as much money as United have to spend in the transfer market, it's simply good business sense to try to make up for it by negotiating their targets down to as low a price as possible.

However, with Pedro eager for the move to be completed and time running out in the transfer window, United would be best served by agreeing to match the Spaniard's valuation.

The Red Devils desperately need some more firepower up front and the injection of a marquee addition such as Pedro would give their front line a much-needed facelift.

Marco Verratti Flattered by Barca Interest

According to Sport, Paris Saint-Germain star Marco Verratti is a target for the Blaugrana.

Jacques Brinon/Associated Press

Per the report, he said in an interview with Goal France: "Barcelona are one of the strongest teams in the world, they've spent a long time at the top. When a team this good is interested in you, any player would like it, and it's true that I like their style of play."

Ahead of the 2012 European Championships and his move to PSG from Pescara, Serie A expert Paolo Bandini noted the midfielder was not yet the complete package:

However, Verratti has continued his impressive development and is now an exceptional talent.

The Italian created 11 goals in all competitions last season and netted three of his own.

Opta Jean provided an example of the youngster's phenomenal passing, which would see him fit in well at the Camp Nou:

Bleacher Report's own Andrew Gibney believes Verratti is "looking every part an experienced world-class talent."

Unfortunately for Barca, in his earlier interview with Goal France Verratti added: "Barcelona is a great team but for the moment I'm happy at PSG. Like they say, you never know what your future will be, but I'm happy where I am and I'm not thinking about changing club because you know what you lose but not what you will get."

The Italian is clearly content with life in Paris, while he would also be forced to sit out a number of invaluable months of playing time as he waited to become an officially registered Barcelona player in January.

A move in the future could definitely be on the cards, but Verratti won't be swapping France for Spain any time soon.