Manchester United ahead of Manchester City in £30m race for 19-year-old forward
5th July 2016 - Jose Mourinho At Manchester United - Jose Mourinho poses after being unveiled as the new Man Utd manager - Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.
Manchester United are reportedly leading arch-rivals Manchester City in the race to sign Brazil youth international Gabriel Jesus, according to UOL Esporte (via The Sun).
The Premier League side, who visit AFC Bournemouth for their 2016/17 English top-flight campaign opener on August 14, are understood to be locked in a bidding war among Europe’s elite clubs for the highly-rated Palmeiras forward this summer.
New Man City boss Guardiola – Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.
The 19-year-old, who has featured for Brazil’s Under-23 squad and is set to represent his country at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic next month, has scored a remarkable 15 goals and provided three assists in 19 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A outfit this season.
Gabriel Jesus, who is said to have a minimum release clause fee of £20m, is wanted in a £26.8m deal by Pep Guardiola’s Citizens, however Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils are prepared to splash out £30m for the Brazilian starlet’s services.
However the report suggests that the Manchester outfits face stiff competition from the likes of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.