What Ed Woodward really got up to on his trip to Barcelona

Quite how Manchester United didn't acquire the services of Pedro is still a bit of a mystery.

Usually in football, when a Chief Executive flies to the other side of the continent to complete a deal, you can safely assume it's a matter of when and not if. Of course, we all know what happened next. Within a day of the first rumours of Pedro to Chelsea surfacing, the deal to Stamford Bridge was done and dusted. Now however, Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague has shed some light on what Ed Woodward actually got up to during his whistle-stop tour of Barcelona. Writing for Yahoo Sport, Balague reveals that Woodward did try and negotiate a deal for Pedro, but didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it all.

'Ed Woodward was in Barcelona for a short, slightly bizarre meeting a week ago, the main purpose of which seemed to be to express some interest in Pedro, but not with much enthusiasm.'

Contrary to recent reports, Balague also confirms that there was no mention of Neymar, either. But with so little time in Catalunya, what could be more pressing then finalising a deal? Well, a tour of Barcelona's museum, of course...

'What is certain however is that the name of Neymar was never mentioned during Mr Woodward’s brief stopover in the Catalan capital, although I’m reliably informed he did enjoy a tour of the Barcelona museum afterwards!'