Manchester United's Ed Woodward flies to Barcelona to complete Pedro deal

Woodward is travelling tonight on a plane. I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain ... oh, I can see Woodward waving goodbye. God it looks like Woodward. Must be the clouds in my eye ...

Big news, folks and folkettes. Ed "Eddie" Woodward, official wielder of the Manchester United chequebook, is in Barcelona. He's always wanted to have a look at the Sagrada Familia; though, if he's anything like the Busby Babe, the heat will be too much for him and he'll just spend his time drinking sangria and sweating ...

... oh, wait. Hang on. According to Ian Ladyman — one of the decent ones, by our reckoning — in the Mailhe's actually trying to finally seal the deal for Pedro. It's the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup tonight, you see, and that means Barcelona's use for their winger will be over.

And while he's there, he might also have a nose at one of Barcelona's opponents ...

Woodward will also take the opportunity to watch Bilbao's French central defender Aymeric Laporte. United do not have a central defender high on their list of priorities despite the fact that early summer target Sergio Ramos committed himself to a new deal at Real Madrid today. However Laporte is highly rated and United continue to have an interest in the 20-year-old, despite a buy-out clause of £36.5m that was inserted in to a new contract in June.