Thiago Alcantara in a deal worth £17 million.
United are prepared to trigger a £17 million release clause in the 22-year-old’s
contract, which is now in play due to Thiago failing to make a required number of appearances for Barcelona last season owing to the presence of Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas at the Spanish champions.
Thiago, who emerged as one of the stars of the recent European Under-21 Championship in Israel before scoring a hat-trick in Tuesday’s final against Italy, came close to signing for United two years ago before choosing to stay at Barcelona |