Manchester United’s hopes of signing Pedro have been hit by an unusual snag – Neymar has contracted the mumps.
United were keen to wrap up the 28-year-old’s signing by Monday so that he’d be eligible to play in both legs of their vital Champions League qualifier with Club Brugge.
However, the Catalans had been delaying the move in order to have the winger available for their UEFA Super Cup encounter with Sevilla on Tuesday.
Their resolve to retain the player has now been galvanised by the fact that Neymar has caught the mumps.
It means that the Brazilian will be unavailable for the Sevilla game, as well as the Spanish Supercopa and the start of the La Liga season.
This development, allied to the fact that new signings Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan are both ineligible until January, means that Barca are somewhat short of numbers.
The untimely domino effect of Neymar’s illness on Pedro’s situation is unwelcome for Louis van Gaal, who is desperate for some added creativity and goal threat at Old Trafford.
