Man United boss Jose Mourinho and Man City counterpart Pep Guardiola are reportedly set to battle it out over Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos.
The 26-year-old swapped Bayern Munich for the Spanish capital in 2014, and has continued to add to his impressive haul of silverware with the Champions League trophy last season.
Given his importance to both club and country and what he brings to their respective midfields with his defensive coverage and passing ability, it’s no surprise that Real’s rivals are keen on prising him away from the Bernabeu.
As reported by Manchester Evening News, both United and City are still interested in signing the German international, with Spanish TV show, El Chiringuito predicting that Guardiola will ‘go to war’ with the club’s city rivals to pip them to Kroos’ signing.
“A war of two great coaches of international prestige, Guardiola and Mourinho, for a player, a player of Real Madrid: Toni Kroos.
“The two managers believe that he may be key to their future because of his tactical position on the field and because he is vital for the continuity of their projects.”
Both United and City were active in the summer transfer window with Mourinho and Guardiola looking to stamp their mark on their respective squads.
It’s likely to be a similar pattern moving forward, and it looks as though their paths could cross in the not too distant future, with both tacticians seeing Kroos as an important addition to the centre of the midfield.