Man Utd and Man City could 'enter bidding war' for midfielder previously compared to Kevin de Bruyne

Manchester United have reportedly expressed interest in signing a highly-rated midfielder who has been compared to Kevin de Bruyne and could enter into a bidding war with rivals Manchester City who have already done extensive research on the player.

The Red Devils are currently one of the lowest scoring teams in the Premier League and their record of 28 goals in 25 matches this term is only marginally higher than Everton and the newly-promoted trio of Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton who all occupy the relegation places, with the remaining teams in the division all out scoring them.

United’s lack of potency in front of goal was displayed during last weekend’s 1-0 away defeat to Spurs when Ruben Amorim’s injury-hit squad failed to find their way past a defence which has been leaking goals all season. It marked the ninth league occasion that United have failed to find the net, with six of those instances alarmingly coming after Amorim’s arrival from Sporting.

Man Utd and Man City in transfer battle

According to TEAMtalk, the Red Devils have joined champions Manchester City in expressing their interest in Atalanta playmaker Charles de Ketelaere. The 23-year-old is regarded as one of the very best young attacking midfielders in world football and is tipped to have a huge future in the game both at club and international level. The 20-time Belgian international became a regular at Club Brugge at just 18-years-of-age and left the Jan Breydel Stadium with three league titles and one Super Cup before completing a reported £29m move to AC Milan.

Belgian journalist Frans Buyse tipped him for stardom and told BBC Sport in 2021: "De Ketelaere's style is reminiscent of De Bruyne. He is intelligent, and possesses great vision and a superb passing range. His dribbling is similar to De Bruyne's too. Eventually, he should take his place for Belgium."

His time at the San Siro was short-lived and after a frustrating stint which saw him make just one assist in 40 appearances, he was sold to Atlanta in a loan deal which included an obligation to buy.

Since moving to Atalanta in 2023, de Ketelaere has established himself as a fan favourite. Last season he formed part of the team which lifted the Europa League while also finishing fourth in Serie A and reaching the Coppa Italia final. De Ketelaere was at the centre of his team’s success throughout the campaign with an impressive 14 goals and 11 assists in 50 league appearances.

The talented midfielder’s play-style and creative qualities have drawn comparisons to international teammate De Bruyne, which have naturally made him a top target for City as the 33-year-old approaches the last few months of his stay at the Etihad with no extension yet to be agreed.

Charles de Ketelaere asking price

TeamTalk reports that United are willing to compete with City to secure the signature of Charles de Ketelaere, who is believed to be available for a ‘reasonable fee.’ The outlet does not specify an exact price tag, but understands that AC Milan still holds a 10% sell-on clause which could complicate matters from an Atalanta perspective.

Spanish outlet Fichajes reported back in December that Liverpool had been interested in signing the youngster and claimed they were given a price tag of €60 million which equates to just under £50m.

In the other news, Manchester World takes a look at 13 star-studded free agents that the Red Devils could entice to Old Trafford during the summer window.