Man United target Pedro will decide own future - Barcelona's Luis Enrique

Posted Wednesday, August 05, 2015 by ESPN

Luis Enrique has reiterated that he wants Pedro to stay at Barcelona but said the decision will be solely down to the player.

Pedro, 28, has been strongly linked with Manchester United and AS has reported that negotiations for the Spain international began on Monday.

While there have been conflicting claims as to whether Pedro's contract contains a clause permitting him to leave for €30 million, it has been widely reported that the Spain international would be allowed to move on if Barca received a bid of that value.

United boss Louis van Gaal has given a strong indication that he wants to sign Pedro, and the forward's mother is said to have told reporters that he is set to leave the Camp Nou for England, but Luis Enrique told a news conference on Tuesday that he would like to keep him if possible.

"Pedro is a world-class player," he said in quotes reported by Marca. "He's shown how good he is for both club and country. Speaking as a coach, I want him to stay. Nothing has changed. Any changes will be dictated by him."

With Barca unable to register any new signings until January, Pedro's departure could leave the club short of options if they were to suffer injuries or suspensions in attack.

However, the Barca coach said: "I don't like looking at 'what ifs,' especially when they're on a negative note. I prefer to think that things will carry on as usual.

"We're ready to deal with any situation that may arise during the coming season."

He added: "There will be no new signings and players will only leave if they wish to go."