Manchester City and Manchester United had opposing starts to their respective Premier League campaigns this weekend.
While Pep Guardiola’s men thrashed Wolves 4-0 on Saturday, United lost 1-0 to Arsenal at Old Trafford despite their spirited performance.
However, both teams still seem to be in the market to further strengthen their respective squads, with Manchester City targeting Gianluigi Donnarumma while Guardiola is a huge admirer of Rodrygo.
Carlos Baleba was on Manchester United’s radar but Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that Brighton & Hove Albion have no intention of selling him this summer.
🚨🇨🇲 Brighton closed doors to Carlos Baleba exit for this summer… and Man United will keep his name on the list for 2026.
Manchester United love Baleba, seen as ideal player for Amorim and will likely remain a target for next year.
🎥 https://t.co/jaaT6ENeHs pic.twitter.com/cS1Ja4SrCK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 16, 2025
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With the Premier League looking set to be as competitive as ever this season, both clubs will be wary of falling by the wayside by simply not splashing the cash.
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Gary Neville says Manchester United need Man City target Gianluigi Donnarumma
Galatasaray submitted a bid to sign Ederson worth £8.5 million and in the event that he leaves, Manchester City could make a move for Donnarumma.
Donnarumma is keen to join Manchester City after recently announcing his exit from Paris Saint-Germain.
Gianluigi Donnarumma in action during Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain.
Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
Reviewing Manchester United’s loss to Arsenal on Sky Sports’ The Gary Neville Podcast, the pundit claimed his former club are in desperate need to sign the Italian: “Look, the two that you look at that were mentioned in the last few weeks is [Emiliano] Martinez and Donnarumma.”
“And the reason I say that those two would be good goalkeepers for Manchester United is not necessarily because they’re the two best goalkeepers in Europe or that they’re amazing. I think they’ve got big personalities and characters.”
Gary Neville believes Donnarumma would be tailor-made for Manchester United because he is accustomed to playing in high-pressure games and has a domineering personality, saying: “You’ve seen Donnarumma in a European final for Italy save those penalties and he looked like a giant, you’ve seen him play for PSG in huge games under pressure. You’ve seen Martinez play in World Cup finals and win a World Cup.”
🗣️ "It's really unsettling when you haven't got a dominant No.1"
Gary Neville says Manchester United HAVE to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer transfer window 🧤 pic.twitter.com/lwgGsXWbRW
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2025
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“So, they’ve played under extreme pressure and they’ve got big personalities and characters and they almost walk out with that arrogance and confidence of a goalkeeper and I think Manchester United, they need that.”
Man City could seal Gianluigi Donnarumma signing because of one Man United player
However, Manchester City could sign Donnarumma as transfer deadline day approaches as they feel PSG’s demands of securing a fee in the region of £25 million to £35 million could drop.
The treble-winner is one of Europe’s standout goalkeepers and alongside the likes of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, his addition could further strengthen an in-form City side.
Gary Neville could be disappointed to discover that despite Manchester United’s intention to sign Donnarumma, a move is considered “difficult” due to their failure to sell Andre Onana — putting Manchester City in the driving seat to secure the 26-year-old’s services.
Unless the player and PSG approve of a loan deal to Ruben Amorim’s side, City seem like the favourites to snap him up.
However, with Pep Guardiola praising James Trafford’s showing against Wolves, questions may be asked by the Sky Blues fans about whether they even need to sign the former AC Milan number one.