Manchester United and Barcelona target €50 million Argentinean midfielder

Manchester United and Barcelona are leading the chase for 21-year old Argentinean midfielder Javier Pastore according to reports.

Pastore currently plays for Palermo in the Serie A, having signed for the club from Argentinean side Huracán last summer.

He was magnificent for Palermo last season and was instrumental in guiding them to a fifth place finish in Serie A. He has already made an impressive start to this campaign, with four goals in the club’s Europa League campaign.

Pastore made his debut for the Argentinean national side in May of this year in a friendly against Canada and was included in Diego Maradona’s 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa. He made two substitute appearances during the competition, against Greece in the group stages and against Mexico in the last sixteen.

Pastore normally operates in the hole behind the strikers and has attracted the attention of Europe’s leading clubs for his vision, creativity and passing ability. Barcelona and Manchester United are leading the chase for the 21-year old, while Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan are also said to have shown an interest.

Pastore would be perfectly suited to Barcelona’s style of football, while Manchester United are desperately in need of creativity in their midfield as Sir Alex Ferguson is still heavily reliant on the contribution of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, who are both in their late thirties.

Pastore wouldn’t come cheap, however, as Palermo are rumoured to have slapped a €50 million price tag on their prized asset.