Manchester United Transfer Rumors: Pedro Says No To Old Trafford Move

Its a deal that has been dominating the football headlines across Europe, and now it is apparent that another plot twist has emerged from the saga. Manchester United could now be left looking elsewhere for another forward as Pedro has formally denied stating that he would like to leave Barcelona.

Yesterday, Barcelona’s technical secretary, Robert Fernandez, stated that Pedro expressed his wishes of leaving the club amid rumors of Manchester United’s interest.

“Pedro has told me he wants to go. The buy-out clause in his contract is not negotiable but this could be his final game.”

Now, it seems that Manchester United is set to lose out on one of their top transfer targets of the summer. Pedro did not mince words and candidly spoke of his intentions of staying at the Catalan club where he has won a plethora of silverware.

Pedro said, “The sports director says I said I want out? He shouldn’t say that, I barely talked with him.”

He continued, “I talked with the president and others. This is a difficult situation for me, of course I wanted to start. I don’t know what will happen, but I will always be a Barça fan.”

“Do I want to leave? The answer is ‘no’, but my situation is difficult. It’s not about money, but about more playing time.”

It is unlikely that Manchester United will be put off the deal despite Pedro’s statement in the media. It is, however, likely that Barcelona and Pedro could be enticing for other clubs to come in for a bid.

Whatever the motive, Manchester United fans will not be pleased as it may mean that the club may have to pay the full buy-out clause or even miss out on the 28-year-old forward.

According to Fernandez, “Pedro asked us for the transfer. We are not going to accept less than €30m for him, it’s not negotiable.”

Manchester United is in need of another forward with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez the only first team option available at the moment. It is expected that Javier Hernandez will leave Manchester United with West Ham United displaying heavy in the Mexican international.

Should the Pedro transfer go bust, United will still be expected to buy a forward, but they may have to pay premium given the nature and the timing of the expenditure.

Will Pedro be wearing the red of Manchester United by the end of the transfer window?

[Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images]