£50m Brazilian midfielder will join City, not United, says his former boss

Manchester City will beat Manchester United to the signing of Fred this summer, according to the midfielder’s former boss.

Both Manchester clubs were keen on the Shakhtar Donetsk man in January with City believed to have pushed to sign him in the transfer window. The Russians though wanted to keep him until at least the summer.

Arsenal are also believed to have been interested, while Record claimed United were also looking to sign the 24-year-old Brazilian last month, and their desire to add to their midfield in the summer is only likely to become greater with Michael Carrick retiring and Marouane Fellaini likely to walk away on a free transfer.

But Fred’s former boss Mircea Lucescu, who signed him from Internacional while he was in charge of Shakhtar, believes United will be disappointed.

“He will go to City like Fernandinho before him,” said Lucescu.

“Shakhtar Donetsk’s best player is Fred in the centre of midfield. He was a bit anarchic on the left. I moved him in front of the defence.”

Fred, who is under contract in Russia until 2023, is rated in the £50million bracket and he could well replace Fernandinho in City’s midfield – just as he did when he joined Shakhtar in 2013.