United in shock swoop for Barca star?

Manchester United are reportedly considering the option of submitting an offer for Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta in January, as David Moyes has been made aware of a simmering malaise between the Spanish midfielder and the Barcelona hierarchy.

With United’s midfield now down to bare bones given the injury that will sideline Michael Carrick for the next six weeks, signing Iniesta would be an incredible coup for David Moyes, for the Spaniard has consistently been one of the world’s top players for the last five or six seasons.

Iniesta’s contract expires in 2015 and talks between him and Barcelona to extend the current deal have dragged on for months now, but the deadlock between the two parties is yet to be broken, which has led to an increase in the rumours that want the Barcelona schemer unhappy at the Nou Camp.

Iniesta has never hidden the fact that he considered Barcelona’s golden era over with the departure of Pep Guardiola – even though Barca are still dominating La Liga – and is said to have been disappointed by the club’s decision to fire physio Emili Ricart, who was sacked before the beginning of the season, despite playing a pivotal role in helping the 29-year-old overcome a series of leg muscle injuries and Barca’s playmaker is said to be considering his options.

However, there’s where the good news end, as far as United are concerned, for there are many a stumbling block that separate Andres Iniesta and David Moyes.

For a start, the Daily Mail is the only paper to have reported the story and the Mail’s lack of credibility is almost second to none when it comes to transfer news, not to mention that even the paper itself describes the deal as “one of the most audacious the Barclays Premier League has known”.

Furthermore, while Iniesta and Barcelona clearly do not see eye-to-eye as far as the midfielder’s contract is concerned, the thought of Barcelona breaking the Xavi-Iniesta partnership to allow the latter to leave the Nou Camp is simply impossible to fathom, not to mention that Iniesta has never played for any other club in his career.

Strange as it might sound, Iniesta’s loyalty to Barcelona could prove an advantage for United, were the 29-year-old to decide his time at the Camp Nou is up, for he wouldn’t consider moving to any other Spanish club. However, if Iniesta became available, just about every top club in Europe would be desperate to secure the 29-year-old’s services.

United’s pursuit of two Barcelona midfielders ended in failure last summer and it’s hard to imagine a different result as far as Iniesta is concerned.