Manchester United to battle Manchester City for 23-year-old Bundesliga star - Reports
Manchester United are reportedly set to battle local rivals Manchester City for the signature of Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong. As reported by Football Insider, both Manchester clubs as well as Liverpool are plotting a move for the Bundesliga-winning full-back.
Frimpong caught everyone's attention with his exploits for Bayer Leverkusen last season as Xabi Alonso's side won both the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal. They were unbeaten domestically and suffered their only defeat of the campaign against Atalanta in the Europa League final.
The Netherlands international scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists in 47 appearances across competitions for Bayer Leverkusen last season. He was quite understandably the subject of interest from a host of clubs this summer but a move failed to materialize.
Manchester United and Manchester City are both believed to be admirers of the 23-year-old bombarding full-back. Liverpool are also reportedly in the race as they look to push Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield.
Arne Slot's side, however, do not see the Dutchman as a priority as they have highly-rated Conor Bradley in their ranks. But, both Manchester United and Manchester City could be ready to make an offer for the attacking full-back soon.
Frimpong came through Manchester City's youth ranks but could not break into the Cityzens' first team. He joined Celtic in 2019 and eventually moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 having enjoyed success at both clubs.
Former Manchester United striker backs Manchester City to defend their Premier League title
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has backed Manchester City to win the Premier League title for a record-extending fifth consecutive season. However, the Frenchman insisted that Liverpool and Arsenal will both be in the mix in a three-horse title race.
Saha believes that the Cityzens hold an edge over Liverpool and Arsenal thanks to their experience and mentality. The former Manchester United forward told cryptocasinosuk.net:
"Both Arsenal and Liverpool can challenge Manchester City, but you have to say that City are the favourites. City have the best squad, the best striker and they have a wonderful collection of defenders. They have an arrogance about them because they’ve done it all before and they also have stability."
"When you put all of those things together, it’s worth an extra five points over the course of a season. You never hear anything about players being unhappy or discontent behind-the-scenes."
Pep Guardiola's side are currently sitting at the top of the league table with 13 points after five games. Liverpool are second with 12 points whereas Arsenal find themselves in fourth place with 11 points.