Manchester United quoted hefty price for Barcelona star

Manchester United are facing a difficult task of luring Spanish left-back Jordi Alba from Barcelona with the Spanish giants reluctant to accept anything less than his release clause.

The left-sided defender presently has just 20 months left on his deal with the Catalans and the club have yet to begin negotiations over a probable extension beyond that.

Amidst this, United have been touted as one among the player's admirers but according to Sport, the Blaugrana are said to have little interest of parting ways with Alba in the near future.

It is added that only his release clause of £133m would tempt them into a sale and that seems an improbable figure for United based on their reluctance to spend over the odds for new recruits.

At present, Luke Shaw is the first-choice for Manchester United on the left side of the backline but the club are likely to pursue another competitor in the near future with Ashley Young expected to be phased out.