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Pep Guardiola could trump Manchester United to bring Thiago Alcantara to Bayern Munich
NEW BAYERN MUNICH manager Pep Guardiola is hoping to beat Manchester United in the race to sign Barcelona starlet Thiago Alcantara.
The 22-year-old midfielder's release clause dropped to €18million after he failed to appear in more than 60% of Barcelona league matches last season.
This lack of first-team action has led Thiago to explore options of a possible move away from the Camp Nou.
Former manager Guardiola is hoping to take advantage and bring the Spanish under-21 international with him to the Allianz Arena.
David Moyes is also interested in bringing Thiago to Old Trafford as he looks to put his own print on the Manchester United squad.
However the presence of Guardiola may hold the key to any deal, as it was the Spaniard who brought Thiago into the Barcelona first-team at the age of 18 in 2009.
Thiago, currently involved at European under-21 championship for Spain, made only 15 starts under Tito Vilanova last season scoring two goals.