Man City are making ground on signing Premier League duo Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson, who are both wanted at Manchester United this summer.
With eight games left to play in the Premier League, Manchester United will be planning potential transfers based on how they want the team to look next season.
Casemiro’s departure has been announced ahead of the summer, and there are questions over whether Manuel Ugarte will still be at the club after two underwhelming years at Old Trafford.
That means United are planning to revamp the midfield. There is no shortage of transfer targets being linked with a move by the mainstream media.
What are your thoughts on Manchester United’s supposed interest in Sandro Tonali?
Where should he rank in comparison to other central midfield targets?
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Sandro Tonali warming up atCamp Nou
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Man City have the edge over Man Utd for Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson
It will be a big ask for any player to replace Casemiro at United next season.
The 34-year-old remains a crucial player in Michael Carrick’s side, playing a key role in the recent improved run of form.
That’s why United are sitting third in the Premier League and are now considered one of the strongest contenders for Champions League qualification.
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Many of the players United are being linked with to replace Casemiro are already playing in the Premier League. They include Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson, and Sandro Tonali.
A new report from FlashScore claims City could have the edge over United in the race to sign Tonali because Newcastle are keen to sign several fringe players in Pep Guardiola’s squad.
That means Tonali could almost be the reverse of the Alexis Sanchez situation, where United beat City to the Chile international’s signature by offering Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Arsenal as a sweetener.
The report adds that it’s a complicated situation because United and City both want to sign Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Gary Neville says Man Utd’s combined fee and wages spend on Casemiro was bad business – Do you agree?
He is upset there is no resale value and he will leave for free
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Early days in race to sign Elliot Anderson
Anderson has been United’s top target for months.
That could change if United feel Anderson has been swayed by City, but reliable reporter Ben Jacobs has provided an update on the England midfielder.
Jacobs dismissed suggestions that Anderson has reached an agreement to join City in the summer, but he has reported that United will face competition from City for the 23-year-old.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jacobs said: “Elliot Anderson is the top target, but Manchester United are going to face competition from Manchester City.
“We heard some reports, I think, two or so weeks ago, that it’s a done deal with Man City.
“That’s not my understanding at this stage. Everything is quite early stage, and really people are trying to understand with Elliot Anderson, does the player camp want to start talking now, does he want to focus on keeping Nottingham Forest up, how will it influence the price if Forest go down, and then again, with the World Cup, does Elliot Anderson want to put all of this out of his mind, do the World Cup, then engage or does he want to decide on his club of preference early, then go and play the World Cup?
“And, at the moment, clubs do not have a clear answer on that.
“So, they are trying to be very respectful to the player side, which is why nothing is moving at this stage.”
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