Manchester United are exploring the possibility of signing Pedro, the Barcelona and Spain winger, amid continuing uncertainty over the future of Ángel Di María.

Louis van Gaal, the United manager, is thought to be ready to challenge Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal for Pedro, who has a €30 million (£20.8 million) release clause in his contract.

The prospect of Sergio Ramos moving to Old Trafford this summer faded yesterday, though, with Rafael Benítez declaring that the Spain defender will be staying at Real Madrid.

As United would countenance selling David De Gea only if Real offer Ramos in return after making clear that they will not be bullied by the Spanish giants, the upside of such news for Van Gaal is that he is likely to