United and City prepare for friendly as battle in transfer market rages on
Big-money signings add pressure, says Kompany City aim to beat Chelsea to £26.5m Danilo deal
The Johnson Space Centre in Houston, a short distance from the NRG Stadium where Manchester United and Manchester City will lock horns in the early hours on Friday, is a fitting backdrop for two clubs hoping to launch title assaults next season after disappointing domestic campaigns last time out.
For all the column inches and air time dedicated to the renewal of Jose Mourinho’s rivalry with Pep Guardiola in Manchester after a toxic battle for supremacy in Spain with Real Madrid and Barcelona, the anticipated fireworks never materialised as the two biggest names in management found themselves unable to keep up with the frenetic
pace set by Antonio Conte’s champions Chelsea.
United’s sixth-place finish was rendered far less damaging than it might have been after Mourinho followed up League Cup success by winning the Europa League and, with it, Champions League qualification, which was the only crumb of comfort for Guardiola.
The margin for error has certainly reduced and Vincent Kompany spelt that out in the bluntest of terms yesterday when he claimed that there was an obligation among the Premier League’s free-spending elite to win the championship.
“It’s hard to say who are going to be favourites,” the City captain said. “More teams than ever can – not just can, but have to – claim that they want to be champions. The distinction is important. They have to. Because everybody is investing heavily at the moment.”
United have committed up to £121million to sign Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof but have encountered frustration in their pursuit of the Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic as well as their primary midfield targets, including Eric Dier and Nemanja Matic, to the point where Mourinho expressed fears of making only one more addition before the Aug 31 deadline.
Indeed, Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice-chairman, is now not certain to attend the derby in Houston as he tries to get deals over the line.
City have had their own frustrations but they are firmly on course to be the summer’s biggest spenders with an outlay that could surpass the £300million mark if they land the remaining four targets they are chasing.
Guardiola hopes to beat Chelsea to the signing of Danilo after offer-
Real Madrid £26.5 million for the Brazil right-back, whom City switched their attention to after Dani Alves snubbed them to join Paris Saint-germain last week.
It would take City’s expenditure on right-backs alone to close to £80 million after the purchase of Kyle Walker from Spurs and Guardiola remains hopeful of also adding Arsenal’s £60 million-rated Chile forward, Alexis Sanchez, and France left-back Benjamin Mendy, who could arrive from Monaco this week for close to £50million, to his squad. A second left-back and a centre-half remain options and although Guardiola ruled out bringing in another goalkeeper, City have been in talks with Napoli over Pepe Reina.
City have already spent in excess of £140million on Ederson Moraes, Bernardo Silva, Walker and Brazilian teenager Douglas Luiz. Despite the business they still have to do, though, Guardiola has implored Fifa and Uefa to re-structure the transfer window so it closes before the start of domestic seasons.
“Unfortunately the market finishes on August 31,” the City manager said. “I think it’s a huge mistake from Uefa. It should finish when the season starts because it’s too long, too large, and we are playing with guys here who are maybe not continuing and players who are not here so hopefully in the future Uefa can think about that and put a deadline on the last day when we start the competition.”
United claimed a small victory in the wider war with their local rivals after it emerged that City supporters will have to subscribe to MUTV if they want to watch the derby since United’s official station are the only rights holders for the game in the UK and Ireland.