Manuel Pellegrini and Louis van Gaal are going head to head for the Atletico Madrid star…
Manchester United and fierce rivals Manchester City are set to go head to head for the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, reports the Daily Star.
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With United boss Louis van Gaal admitting that a creative midfielder is top of his list of transfer targets they are likely to put a lot of effort into signing the 23-year-old, who has 12 assists already this season, though the Old Trafford side are unwilling to pay his £44m release fee in cash and will look to use Juan Mata as bait as part of an exchange deal.
City are looking for a similar deal, with striker Stevan Jovetic being used as a makeweight, with the recent addition of Wilfried Bony meaning that the Montenegrin is surplus to requirements at the Etihad.
Even if either team has a bid accepted for the player it may prove difficult to persuade the Spanish international to leave the club he has represented since the age of eight.