Manchester United favourites to sign Manchester City target

Manchester City have cooled their interest in top transfer target Fred leaving Manchester United with a clear run at the Shakhtar Donetsk star, claims The Daily Telegraph.

Fred looked destined to join City in the summer after Pep Guardiola’s side failed to agree a fee with Shakhtar in January but now the Premier League leaders are pursuing alternative targets.

Shakhtar’s chief executive, Sergi Palkin, revealed this week that Fred would join one of the Manchester clubs at the end of the season but now his most likely destination appears to be Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho has made strengthening his midfield a top priority this summer with at least two new players expected to arrive to replace Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini.

The United manager called for more signings in the wake of United’s shock Champions League exit on Tuesday night and Fred is expected to rank highly on his list of targets this summer.

Of the 42 players that have attempted at least 20 dribbles in the Champions League this season, only Douglas Costa (90.9%) has a better success rate than Fred (88.5%).