Barcelona considering Bosman move for Manchester United superstar - Reports

Barcelona are interested in signing Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw on a free transfer, according to Spanish publication Sport.

The England international has had an up-and-down career at Old Trafford since joining the club from Southampton in 2014. He has played 228 games across all competitions, registering three goals and 24 assists.

Shaw has had to deal with major injuries, competition for places and poor form across his career. There was speculation that he might even lose his starting place as Manchester United signed Tyrell Malacia in the summer.

However, Shaw has revived himself to become one of the main cogs in Ten Hag's wheel at Old Trafford. He has also been key for England at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Englishman's contract with the Red Devils expires next summer and he has attracted interest from Barcelona. The Blaugrana are looking for a left-back to replace veteran Jordi Alba, who could leave the club next summer.

They signed Marcos Alonso in the summer and also have youngster Alejandro Balde but could still look to sign Shaw on a Bosman deal. Their much-publicized financial issues mean that they could dip into the free transfer market again.

However, given his form, Manchester United could perhaps offer Shaw a new contract. He has registered two assists in 15 games across competitions this season.

The Blaugrana, meanwhile, have also identified Portugal's Raphael Guerreiro and Spain's Alejandro Grimaldo as Alba's replacements.

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Erik ten Hag on Manchester United's upcoming UEFA Europa League clash against Barcelona

Barcelona failed to get past the UEFA Champions League group stages for the second year in a row. They finished third in their group behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan and above Viktoria Plzen.

The Catalans will now face Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League playoffs with the winner making it into the Round of 16.

Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag recently spoke about the two-legged tie on the club's official website:

“It’s in the back of my head. First, we have a lot of other games to cover and I like the style of Barcelona. It’s going to be a great competition between us.”

He added:

“We’re looking forward but as I said, there are a lot of games coming up and we are focused on them. In the moment itself, we’ll give it our best and make a clear plan. We have to beat them.”

Barcelona will host Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie on February 16. The second leg will be played at Old Trafford on February 23.