Man City made £100m swoop and Man Utd hijacked deal as Elliot Anderson battle lines drawn

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With Manchester United closing the gap on Manchester City in recent months, the Red Devils may once again be able to compete with their cross-city rivals for top talent. Over a decade of mediocrity and several seasons of not playing in the Champions League has tied United’s hands somewhat in the transfer market in recent years.

That has only allowed ‘noisy neighbours’ City to become the more attractive Manchester destination for emerging talent, as they continued their dominance of English football. But, given United’s status and the outcome of City’s 115 alleged charges still in the balance, the tide may be starting to swing the other way now, especially with Michael Carrick’s impressive start to life as interim manager.

Both clubs are expected to battle it out for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson at the end of this season. The 23-year-old, rated at around £75million, wants to have his future decided before the start of the World Cup this summer, knowing Forest could be relegated and that several top clubs are trying to secure his signature.

United securing Champions League qualification would dramatically boost their chances of landing him, though Anderson has not yet made his mind on which club is his preference. Now, Mirror Football takes a look at the players City and United have competed to sign in recent years and who has come out on top in each instance.

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City and United both wanted to sign a disgruntled Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January 2018. Pep Guardiola aimed to bring in the former Barcelona winger but City later claimed they couldn’t match the financial package offered by their rivals, eventually deciding to pull out of the deal.

Sanchez joined United in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move the opposite way. However, the Chilean’s time at Old Trafford was primarily a failure, only scoring five goals in 45 appearances before moving to Inter Milan.

In the summer of 2018, Brazilian midfielder Fred rejected City and completed a £47m transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk to United. He later revealed the chance to play under Jose Mourinho was the deciding factor, having received a direct phone call from the legendary Portuguese manager which convinced him to commit his future to the club.

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In yet another blow for City, who had won the league twice in a row by the summer of 2019, United beat them to the signature of Harry Maguire . The Leicester City central defender’s £80m move was and remains the world record fee paid for a defender.

Guardiola admitted City could not splurge such a sum on Maguire, saying: "He's an excellent, top-class player. We were interested but could not afford it."

Maguire has endured a tough seven years at United, having had his performances regularly scrutinised and been stripped of the captaincy. Yet, the Englishman has proven more valuable in recent seasons, despite £80m still being considered a poor use of resources.

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United once again got one over their rivals on transfer deadline day of the 2021 summer window. Reports had claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was on the verge of a move from Juventus to the Etihad Stadium before pulling off a dramatic U-turn to join his beloved United after the club came in with an offer.

Ronaldo claimed he followed his heart and there were reports of Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand directly picking up the phone in order to convince him to join United. But it later emerged that City’s interest was only mild, with some reports claiming Guardiola was not interested in the ageing star after Ronaldo was offered to the club by his agent.

Despite a strong first season, the Portuguese icon’s second stint in Manchester ended in tears after a falling out with Erik ten Hag and club bosses, suggesting City dodged a bullet.

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United were also keen on signing Jack Grealish in 2021 before eventually bringing in Jadon Sancho. Grealish was one of the most exciting players in the Premier League at the time and there was considerable interest from various English clubs in signing him.

After a protracted transfer saga, City instead signed the Aston Villa captain later that summer for a then-British record transfer fee of £100m. United’s own signings failed to impress that season, while Grealish struggled to adapt to Guardiola’s demands in his first season.

He did help City win an elusive Champions League title and the Treble, however, but is currently out on loan at Everton .