Man City ‘hijack’ on Man Utd leaves INEOS with lesser £100m signing as Semenyo repeat inevitable

After Antoine Semenyo , Manchester City’s latest ‘hijack’ on Manchester United leaves INEOS with the lesser of two £100m signings…

Man Utd have surely got sick of their noisy neighbours in the years following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

Over the past 13 years, Man City have dominated this rivalry as they usually beat Man Utd in matches, have lifted a lot more silverware and have also pipped the Red Devils to numerous signings.

There has been recent evidence of Man City’s advantage over Man Utd in the transfer market, with Pep Guardiola’s side winning a straight shootout between the two sides over Antoine Semenyo .

Given the two clubs’ vastly different current status in the Premier League and Europe, it’s hardly surprising that Semenyo opted for a move to the Etihad, as Man City are a far more attractive and safe proposition for players than Man Utd at the moment.

Therefore, key figures at Old Trafford are right to be concerned by Man City’s interest in signing Nottingham Forest and England standout Elliot Anderson.

One of Man Utd’s many problems is their ineffective midfield, so it has been widely reported that their main priority in the next two transfer windows is to overhaul this department with two signings and exits expected.

As part of this rebuild, Man Utd are likely to focus on signing a new defensive midfielder to be an upgrade on Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, with Anderson and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba mooted as their leading options.

However, as mentioned, Man City appear to be complicating their move for Anderson, with a report from journalist Fraser Fletcher for our pals at TEAMtalk claiming United’s ‘worst fears have been realised’ by their rivals ‘hijacking’ a move for the England international.

Man City are said to have ‘made contact’ with Anderson’s representatives as they ‘prepare a strong push for his signature’, with Guardiola a ‘huge admirer’.

Anderson is said to be a ‘top option’ for Man Utd, but they have been ‘spooked’ by Man City , who he is ‘keen’ to play for. This is due to their ‘perceived advantages’, which include ‘their proven track record of success, Champions League pedigree, and the allure of working under one of football’s most respected tacticians’.

Were Man City to actually make a serious play for Anderson in the summer, the outcome of this saga would be the same as the Semenyo situation; Man Utd would miss out on a key target.

Instead, Man Utd would have to settle for Baleba, another signing potentially costing £100m, as the most obvious alternative.

Baleba is a great talent, so this outcome would not be the end of the world for United. But the Brighton man is certainly more raw than ready-made Anderson, who has already proven he can step up while in international duty, and represents a risk despite costing a very similar fee.