Manchester City and Manchester United set for summer transfer battle over Serie A midfielder | OneFootball

The two Manchester giants in the Premier League are on course for a summer transfer battle over one of the star names currently operating in Italian football.

Both clubs are currently in the midst of challenging campaigns particularly in the English top-flight, while Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United are in a far more difficult position as they languish just outside of the relegation zone.

As for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and despite a torrid run of form across November and December, the reigning Champions still find themselves in hot pursuit of a top-four finish and a clear run at silverware via the FA Cup this season.

Both sides are in need to summer transfer business however as they look to revitalise their respective squads, with the Etihad Stadium club having already started their work in the recent January market through a spend in excess of £175 million.

And while Manchester City managed to secure themselves a new central midfielder through La Masia graduate and now-former FC Porto star Nico Gonzalez, there is every chance that they look to recruit further in the middle of the park.

According to the information of Italian newspaper Tuttosport, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, both Manchester City and Manchester United have already managed to ‘test the waters’ for Atalanta’s Éderson and will provide ‘fierce’ competition in the race for the player.

It is claimed that Atalanta rejected a €40 million offer from an unnamed Premier League club during the last summer transfer window, and while neither Manchester club is specified as being the team behind the proposal, both are now ready to move forward.

There does however remain interest and competition from within Italy, as Juventus are said to be ‘intent’ on beating interest from the English game.

Éderson was one of the names that Manchester City had identified ahead of the January transfer window as a player that could be lured into a deal as they looked to make up for the long-term absence of Rodri due to injury.

Ultimately, no such deal progressed with Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain having also explored the possibility of a loan deal for Juventus’ Douglas Luiz, while shutting down the idea of a big-money switch for either Martin Zubimendi or Bruno Guimaraes.

It is not just the defensive-minded central roles that will be assessed by Manchester City during the summer months however, with Kevin De Bruyne’s long-term uncertainty raising the possibility of a remarkable big-money swoop for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

The German star is believed to be the reigning Premier League champions’ dream candidate to replace the aforementioned Belgium international having impressed for the last few years in the Bundesliga and at international level, while all still being only 21-years-old.