Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic as a transfer target for this summer, according to Fichajes.

What's the latest news on Pjanic?

The Bosnian playmaker only moved to the Nou Camp last year, but manager Ronald Koeman reportedly does not see him as part of his plans moving forwards, and it appears that Pjanic may be allowed to leave in the upcoming transfer window.

This has left the door open for potential suitors to make their move, and Solskjaer is believed to be a fan of the 31-year-old. It is understood that the Norwegian coach is not convinced by Fred, and views Pjanic as the ideal replacement for the Brazilian.

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How has Pjanic fared at Barcelona?

It has been a fairly mediocre campaign for Pjanic in his first year in Spain. He has made 17 appearances in La Liga, but has yet to register a goal or an assist for Barcelona.

Koeman seems to have lost patience with him, as Pjanic has been an unused substitute for each of the side's last six league matches.

He also only featured briefly off the bench in both legs of Barcelona's Champions League tie with PSG earlier this year, signalling that he is very much out of favour with Koeman at the moment.

How does he compare to Fred?

Solskjaer reportedly feels that Pjanic would fit in perfectly at United alongside Scott McTominay, displacing Fred in the team. But is Pjanic actually a better option than Fred? Based on this season's statistics, he isn't. 

As per WhoScored, Fred holds a clear advantage over his Barcelona counterpart when it comes to defensive aspects of the game. He averages 2.7 tackles per game to Pjanic's 0.8, and has made 1.6 interceptions per match in the Premier League, compared to Pjanic's 0.6 in La Liga.

Perhaps more surprisingly, given Pjanic's previous history of playing higher up the pitch, Fred also has superior numbers when it comes to creativity. He has made 0.8 key passes per game this term, whilst Pjanic is down at 0.5.

This indicates that Fred has actually had a much better 2020/21 season than Pjanic.

Is Solskjaer set to repeat van Gaal's transfer gaffe?

Back in 2015, Louis van Gaal signed Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich to bolster his midfield. At the time, it looked like a smart move. Schweinsteiger was a World Cup and Champions League winner after all. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, the issue was that he had just moved into his thirties, and was past his best. It ended up going pretty disastrously, with Schweinsteiger only making 35 appearances in his two years at Old Trafford before eventually leaving for the MLS. 

Bringing in Pjanic could give Solskjaer a similar problem. There is no doubting that Pjanic has been a fabulous player, as shown by the fact that he won four Serie A titles with Juventus.

However, there is a reason that they were happy to let him go in 2020. There's a reason that Barcelona are set to bid him farewell this summer. He no longer appears to be the player he once was.

Solskjaer needs to use the transfer market wisely in order to bridge the gap to Manchester City, so that United can mount a serious title challenge next year.

Can Pjanic help him achieve this? His displays this season suggest not.