Manchester United Transfer News: Marc Bartra, Mario Gotze, Top Rumours

Manchester United could be set to snap up Barcelona's Marc Bartra after Barca technical secretary Robert Fernandez said he might be leaving in search of regular first-team football.

According to Anthony Chapman of the Sun, the centre-back is a target for United, and the Red Devils have received a boost in their pursuit of him after Fernandez said that while the Catalan giants would like him to remain with the club, his desire for game time could prompt him to move:

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We have many good players and it is difficult to compete in a team like Barcelona. For us anyway, Bartra is a major player. He will always be in our plans and future ideas. He was born and raised in our home, but his personal situation could lead to a separation from the club.

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Indeed, despite being with Barca his entire career, the 25-year-old has only just reached a century of games for the club, as noted by their official Twitter feed:

Twenty-one of those appearances have come this season, but he has been on the pitch for a total of just 1,060 minutes—an average of just 50 per outing—and he has only completed 90 minutes eight times.

In just 361 minutes in La Liga, the Spaniard has won five tackles and 11 headed duels and has made five blocks and nine interceptions, according to Squawka, as well as scoring and assisting once apiece.

As the video below demonstrates, Bartra is a cultured and committed defender:

Football journalist Dermot Corrigan believes Bartra needs to move to further his career, though he is not sure he'd be suited to the rigours of the Premier League:

Football writer Mark Ooi believes he could thrive if given significant game time, though:

There's certainly a place at United to cement a starting position alongside Chris Smalling, with Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo both frequently out of commission due to injury.

As Chapman noted, he could be available for £10 million, so he could well be worth a shot at Old Trafford.

According to Denis Huber of German outlet TZ (h/t Metro's Will Giles), the Red Devils are also "keen" to sign Bayern Munich's Mario Gotze.

Huber reported that Gotze could depart the club in the summer, as he does not appear to be among their plans despite concluding his current deal in 2017, with the Bavarians working on securing their other top stars with new contracts.

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

That makes a move this summer highly likely, as they will want to cash in on him while they can.

Gotze has struggled to make the same impact he did with Borussia Dortmund in Munich, as sports journalist Stefan Bienkowski noted in January:

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old remains a highly exciting talent who could reignite his career elsewhere, and with the Red Devils he could provide some much-needed creativity in the final third.

However, Liverpool are also named among his suitors, and the prospect of reuniting with Jurgen Klopp makes Anfield a more likely destination.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

The two clubs might also go head-to-head for another German, Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn. According to Ulrich Bauer of German newspaper Bild (h/t Metro's George Bellshaw) the Red Devils are "closely monitoring" the Liverpool target, who has a release clause of just £6.9 million.

As Bundesliga expert Clark Whitney noted, the 22-year-old is a hugely promising young stopper:

Liverpool have much greater need for a new goalkeeper with Simon Mignolet proving unreliable, but should United lose David De Gea, they'll need a quality replacement.

Given time to continue his development, Horn could well become a viable long-term replacement for the Spaniard, so at the price he'd cost he'd make an excellent signing.