Barcelona’s trick to beat Ruben Amorim to key Man Utd transfer

Barcelona are hoping to beat Manchester United to one of Ruben Amorim’s top targets and they could have an ace up their sleeve to seal a deal.

United are hoping to strengthen their squad in January in order to boost Amorim after he became the club’s new manager in January, with a left-back among the highest priorities.

However, a lot could come down to outgoings due to United’s battle with PSR, leaving the club in a predicament over securing one of their key targets.

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With Luke Shaw picking up another injury, United are understaffed at left-back and they had been hoping to secure an under-value deal for Alvaro Carreras, who only left the club permanently in the summer.

Carreras joined Benfica for €6 million after spending part of last season on loan with the Portuguese side and he has impressed enough to attract interest from his former club among others, with Amorim also becoming a fan after witnessing his performances during his time with Sporting.

United are understood to have a buy-back clause of €20m for Carreras, which could allow them to steal a deal with Benfica otherwise asking for the 21-year-old’s buyout of €50m.

Like United, Barca are also facing financial difficulty and would not be able to afford the €50m release clause but they too are aiming to get creative to try and sign Carreras.

Barca ready to offer Fati in makeweight deal

According to reports in Spain, Barca could offer Ansu Fati as a makeweight in any deal for Carreras as they search for an alternative to their own injury-prone left-back in Alejandro Balde.

Carreras spent time in Real Madrid’s academy prior to joining United but the Spaniard would be open to a move back to his native country despite only being at Benfica for less than a year.

No decisions have been made by either clubs or player but Barca’s need to raise funds could see them be aggressive in moves to sell Fati, who has featured in just 125 minutes this season.

Fati was once considered one of the brightest prospects to ever come out of Barca’s academy but a host of injuries have taken its toll on the 22-year-old, who is now considered expendable in order to raise funds for his club.