Manager appears to confirm Manchester City have beaten Manchester United to £50million transfer

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Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred has been tipped to seal a transfer to Manchester City by his former manager Mircea Lucescu, spelling bad news for Manchester United.

This is in line with a recent report from the Daily Star, who expect Fred to make the move to the Etihad Stadium in the summer for around £50million.

City boss Pep Guardiola could certainly do with strengthening in that position, with Fred looking like making an ideal long-term replacement for fellow Brazilian Fernandinho.

While it is not clear if Manchester United’s interest was ever that strong, the Manchester Evening News have linked them with keeping an eye on Fred in the recent past.

For now, it certainly seems likely that City are set to win the race for the 24-year-old, with Lucescu, now in charge of the Turkish national team, saying the player is going to follow in Fernandinho’s footsteps by leaving Shakhtar for City.

‘Shakhtar Donetsk’s best player is Fred in the centre of midfield. He was a bit anarchic on the left. I moved him in front of the defence,’ Lucescu is quoted in the Daily Mirror.

‘He will go to City like Fernandinho before him.’

United, meanwhile, may have turned their attention towards Monaco star Fabinho in that area of the pitch, with Gianluca Di Marzio claiming they’ve opened talks over a £44million transfer.

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