Manchester City agree £50m deal for Manchester United target

Manchester City have beaten rivals Manchester United to the signing of Fred after agreeing a £50m deal with Ukranian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, claims The Daily Mirror.

Pep Guardiola’s side failed in their attempts to sign Fred in January but have now agreed a deal with Shakhtar for his services at the end of the season.

After missing out on Alexis Sanchez to United last month, Guardiola has accelerated his summer transfer plans to ensure the same thing does not happen again.

City broke their club-transfer record to sign Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Club at the end of the January transfer window and have now agreed a £50m deal to land Fred.

The 24-year-old was also a target for United but Jose Mourinho cooled his interest in the Brazilian midfielder after he revealed his desire to work under Guardiola.

Fred impressed City chiefs during their Champions League group stage encounters and has been earmarked as the ideal long-term replacement for Fernandinho.

Of the 105 players that have attempted at least 10 dribbles in the Champions League this season, Fred has the best success rate (95.2%).