It seems that Barcelona aren’t giving up on Thiago without getting more than just money for the talented midfielder, trying to work out a deal with Manchester United that will bring over Wayne Rooney in exchange.

Reasonable? Only if you believe Barcelona and Wayne Rooney is a realistic link. The Spainsh press has been working that angle, suggesting Barcelona are trying to put their hands on the want-away English forward, but reports in England suggest that Rooney himself prefers to play for either Arsenal or Chelsea, if they’re willing to pay his wages.

What’s United side in all of this? At the moment, they’re not ready to let Rooney go, but it all depends on what he and David Moyes come up with. United will be offering Rooney a contract extension very soon, but if he insists on leaving, they’ll start looking for buyers, which shouldn’t be too hard.

The question is how much? Thiago Alcantara would cost them €21 million in a straight up deal to the exposed release clause, becoming available for triggering after Thiago didn’t play enough minutes for Barcelona last season. The question is how much would Rooney cost in this deal, as Barcelona would surely have to add some cash. The question is – how much?

While United don’t want to see Rooney go, the arrival of Thiago will certainly help any loss they might feel in the midfield, not to mention they’re still looking to sign strikers like Robert Lewandowski and Edinson Cavani, although the links regarding those two players haven’t been played much in the last few days.

Does Rooney make sense in Barcelona? Almost every player outside the Premier League seems like a fish out of the water in other European leagues, but there’s no doubt that the idea of Rooney playing alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar is very intriguing. There’s a good chance this is all just assumptions and fantasy, but you can’t rule out anything.