Man Utd midfielder 'up for sale' as Man City 'ready' swoop for Newcastle man & £51m Liverpool 'target'

Manchester City host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon with both sides in need of a victory. Reigning champions City have fallen off the pace in their pursuit of a fifth-straight Premier League title while United have won just five of their first 15 games and have changed managers already.

Ruben Amorim came in last month to replace Erik ten Hag and will get his first taste of a Manchester derby on Sunday. The 39-year-old has already faced Man City this season, as he guided Sporting CP to a stunning 4-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s men in the Champions League before making the switch to Old Trafford.

As the two rivals prepare for Sunday’s game, plenty of work will be going on in the background ahead of the January transfer window. Some of the latest reports indicate City could be busy in the market as they look to halt their alarming run while one United player could be on his way out of the cub if a suitable offer arrives.

Eriksen ‘could be sold’ by United

The Red Devils are open to selling Denmark international Christian Eriksen next month if a suitable offer is submitted. That is according to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg. It comes amid widespread reports that Eriksen is likely to leave United on a free transfer in the summer, with United now said to be willing to cash in on the player if they are able to do so in January.

Earlier this week, former Scotland international Ally McCoist said that Christian Eriksen, along with Casemiro, would struggle to provide the “legs” in midfield for United moving forward under Amorim. He said: “Christian Eriksen and Casemiro are fantastic players, but they’re both reaching a stage in their careers where they’re starting to dip. It happens to us all, and it will continue to happen; there’s no avoiding it. In Amorim’s system, you need legs to cover that midfield area. United aren’t covering as much ground as the opposition, which is a damning statistic. It’s evident that Amorim has to get some energy and quality into those two central midfield positions.”

Man City ‘ready’ to swoop for midfielder in January

Man City are said to be ready to sign a new midfielder in January to cope with the absence of Rodri. The defensive midfielder is out for the campaign with an ACL problem. According to The Times, Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Newcastle United’s Brazilian international Bruno Guimaraes are two targets. ESPN reports that Guardiola will also get ‘backed’ to sign Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, along with Guimaraes. It comes after the Premier League club posted a record revenue of £715m. Guimaraes previously had a £100m release clause at Newcastle but that expired in the summer which now allows the Magpies to demand whatever fee they deem suitable.

Zubimendi was heavily targeted by Liverpool in the summer with the Reds ready to pay the £51m to sign the player before a change of heart saw him stay with Sociedad. The Times reported earlier this week that the Spanish international is now open to a move abroad amid interest from City, Liverpool and Arsenal.