Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is set to turn down a move to Manchester United and head to Chelsea in the January transfer window.
Pique, who spent four years at Old Trafford before joining Barcelona in 2008, has lost his place at the centre of the Catalan side’s defence under manager Luis Enrique.
And despite the interest of United, reports in Spain indicate that the club, and the player, are only interested in negotiating with the Blues.
United manager Louis van Gaal had been looking to shore up an injury-ravaged and leaky Old Trafford backline, and had been reportedly lining up a £20M bid for Pique.
But this looks to have been gazumped by the Stamford Bridge side, who are set to offer £24M.
Pique had only signed a new deal with Barcelona in May, to last until 2019. But he may seek a move to pastures new to revitalise his career.
Steve Osborne @SteveOsborne23
