Manchester City want Manchester United wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo to make a cross-city switch from Old Trafford to the Etihad, showing the stark gulf between the two sides.
The Treble-winning Citizens defeated their locals 3-0 away from home last Sunday, with Pep Guardiola's side barely stepping out of second gear for much of the match, showing the contrast between where both clubs currently are. Manchester City are now nine points ahead of Manchester United.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Erik ten Hag appeared to suggest that his side would never replicate his work at Ajax, casting his future into further doubt – and now things could be about to get worse off the field.
FourFourTwo understands City are chasing promising United academy star Kobbie Mainoo, ranked among FFT's most exciting teenagers in world football right now.
The midfielder was set for a role in Ten Hag's squad at the start of the campaign after featuring in pre-season for the Red Devils, before picking up an injury against Arsenal in the United States.
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The early signs of Mainoo as a player are that he is one of the finest players in recent seasons out of United's famed academy, about to dictate the second phase of play. Losing him to City would be a huge loss – though luckily he does have a long-term contract.
It's unclear how much City would have to pay to bring the starlet to the Etihad – or whether United would even entertain an offer – but with City's commitment to developing future stars and United's financial restrictions right now, the deal would be a fascinating one in the history of the two clubs, should it come to fruition.
The last player to play for both Manchester clubs was Jadon Sancho, who left City's academy and signed for Manchester United via a hugely successful stint at Borussia Dortmund.
Mainoo is valued at just £800k by Transfermarkt.
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Pep Guardiola has discussed his future, teasing Juventus as a potential destination in the future. Meanwhile, midfielder Bernardo Silva could leave City for a cut-price £50 million due to a special release clause.
Ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane labelled his old club "embarrassing" in the wake of the defeat to Manchester City – and Keane's former teammate Gary Neville made a similar assessment of Antony's aggressive substitute appearance.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Man United's prospective takeover "is set to accelerate quickly". News off the field hasn't been helped by the fact that Jude Bellingham rejected Manchester United because they couldn't promise he'd be "a first-team player".
