Is Shakira blocking Gerard Pique's transfer move to Manchester United?

Gerard Pique and his wife Shakira captured in a Basketball event in Barcelona, Spain.

If rumours are to believed from reports in Spain and England, Manchester United are lining up for the transfer of Barcelona’s Gerard Pique.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is said to be very interested in signing the 27-year-old in the next January transfer window, confirmed Spanish media agency AS.

Pique has been struggling to break into the first team following the transfer of Jeremy Mathieu who moved to the Catalan club earlier this summer. On the other hand, Manchester United have had a shambolic start to the season, mostly due to their defenders.

Pique’s grandfather, an ex-vice President at Barcelona was close friends with van Gaal while he was a coach at the club, and has known Pique since he was 12.

However, according to a report published by the Daily Mail, Pique’s girlfriend Shakira doesn’t want her partner to move to Manchester. “The Barcelona defender's partner does not want to leave the Catalan city for Manchester. And any move would represent a huge upheaval for the showbiz couple's family,” reads the report.

Pique had spent four years of his career at Manchester after he moved there in 2004, but only managed to get 12 Premier League starts with the Reds.