Manchester City move to beat Man United to signing of German defensive midfielder | OneFootball

Hugo Viana and Manchester City appear determined to secure the services of one of German football’s most exciting prospects, according to reports in England.

The news comes as a blow to early recruitment plans at Old Trafford, where Manchester United had previously identified the Hertha Berlin starlet as one of a number of primary youth targets with an eye towards securing the long-term future of the club.

However, as has long been the case, the power dynamic in Manchester appears to have shifted towards the Etihad Stadium in the scouting department, with City focussed on future-proofing the midfield, viewing Eichhorn as an ideal long-term development project.

Despite Hertha Berlin lying some way off from promotion in 2. Bundesliga, Kennet Eichhorn has been a standout performer, and many of Europe’s top clubs are keen to take advantage of his rapidly increasing stock before his valuation comes to match.

City ready to ‘move quickly’ to sign Eichhorn

According to MailSport’s Nathan Salt and Chris Wheeler, Manchester United could lose out to rivals Manchester City in the race to sign the highly-rated Hertha Berlin defensive midfielder, Kennet Eichhorn.

The 16-year-old is said to be on the radar of ‘most of Europe’s top clubs’, and it is suggested that Hugo Viana and Manchester City are now ready to ‘move quickly’ to beat their rivals to the German’s signature.

Buy-to-loan blueprint outlined for Eichhorn?

The strategic maneuver by Manchester City is rumoured to involve an immediate loan agreement, potentially to Bayer Leverkusen, to ensure Kennet Eichhorn continues his rapid development in a top-flight environment.

This would allow the youngster to potentially gain UEFA competition experience under high-level coaching before perhaps integrating into the Manchester City squad from the start of the 2027/28 season.

By acting now, Manchester City are not only securing a player viewed by many as being a generational talent, but are also successfully blocking their cross-town rivals from addressing a glaring weakness in their own roster.