Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is being lined up by Barcelona as a back up plan in case they cannot secure the signing of PSG’s Marco Verratti, according to Sport.
The Spanish sports newspaper claim that the Catalan giants still have Italian midfielder Veratti as their top target this summer, but have set out contingency plans if he fails to meet their deadline of July 4.
They report that Premier League duo Herrera and Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez are both on the European heavyweights’ shortlist, saying that the Spanish international could cost around £35million (€40million).
A move to Barcelona would mean Herrera would reunite with former manager Ernesto Valverde, who was the 27-year-old’s boss during his time at Athletic Bilbao, the club from which United snapped him up from in 2014.
He has gone on to establish himself as a key member of the United squad, making 122 appearances across all competitions, scoring 15 goals and providing 22 assists for his team mates.
His energetic and committed style of play has also made him a firm favourite among the Old Trafford faithful.
Last season saw Herrera make 50 appearances in the league and cups, including nine games on the way to Europa League success, which included the full 90 minutes in the final which saw Jose Mourinho’s side comfortably defeat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm.
However, a move from Barcelona might see the Reds’ boss facilitate a move for the two-time-capped Spain international, with his contract set to expire next summer.
That would mean that Herrera could agree a pre-contract deal with another club in January, and see United lose him for nothing come the end of the season.