Manchester United is reportedly trying hard to hammer out a transfer deal for Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, a team insider disclosed on Saturday.

Alcantara, who captured the European Under-21 Championship MVP after his hatrick led Spain to their fourth title in the tournament, is the apple of the eye of the Red Devils' management because of his cunning ability to orchestrate plays and score goals at such a young age.

However, the Catalan ball club is trying to convince Alcantara to stay with the ball club. Barcelona has reportedly made several tactics to stall the negotiations between Manchester United and the player, making the process frustrating for the Red Devils.

The big concern now is how long the Red Devils can wait to sign the up-and-coming star and prevent him from re-signing with Barca or even get snatched by other big spenders such as Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

The 22-year-old Alcantara has already been called up three times for the Spanish football team and is expected to be a factor in that talented squad in next year's FIFA World Cup.