It is no secret that there is a great deal of animosity between bitter rivals Manchester United and Manchester City, and the two sides look set to be involved in another battle once again as they compete against each other to win the affections of Atletico Madrid defender Joao Miranda.
Miranda has been one of the most consistent defenders in Europe over the past few seasons and has recently been touted to make a move to England, with Manchester United believed to be leading the race to sign the Brazilian star.
Atletico have maintained that they are not looking to sell Miranda but following the emergence of young José María Giménez in recent times, the Spanish side seem to have softened their stance and are said to be open to parting with the 30-year old defender if a big offer comes along.
Manchester United are desperate to sign a new top class central defender and are willing to offer as much as £25million to land Miranda in January.
However, Manchester United now look set to receive competition in their hopes of signing Miranda as rivals Manchester City have also reportedly entered the race for the defender.
City are looking to offload Matija Nastasic while their big money signing Eliaquim Mangala is still struggling to come to grips with the Premier League.
Therefore, it has been claimed that City manager Manuel Pellegrini is looking to strengthen his backline during the January transfer window in a bid to overhaul Chelsea in the title race and is interested in taking Miranda on board.
Money is no object for both Manchester clubs and it will be interesting to see which side Miranda eventually elects to join.
