Rumour: Manchester United target Barcelona’s Jordi Alba if Luke Shaw transfer falls through

Reports have this morning suggested that Manchester United are keen on a shock move for Barcelona defender Jordi Alba, should they fail to tempt Southampton’s Luke Shaw to Manchester.

New Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has long been linked with a move for Southampton’s 18 year old left-back Shaw, with fees of up to £30 million reported. However the move for Shaw, a member of England’s World Cup squad this summer, has reportedly stalled in recent weeks, leading United to turn their attention to Barcelona and Spain left back Alba.

The move would certainly mark a statement of intent from United, but on the surface it appears an ambitious move to attempt to persuade 25 year old Alba to trade in Barcelona for a side currently facing up to a season without even Europa League football.

United do have Patrice Evra for another year, but are in the market for the long term heir to the Frenchman. They were said to be keen on Alba before his move to Barcelona, but it will prove a tougher prospect to prise him from Barcelona than it would have been from Valencia.

The Spaniard was restricted by injury to just 15 league appearances for the Catalan side last season.Alba created a chance every 66 minutes last season