Man City and Man Utd's seven transfer battles shows who has edge in Frenkie de Jong race

The summer transfer window is fast approaching and, as ever, it promises to be a busy time for Premier League clubs looking to strengthen their squads.

While there are thousands of players out there, the market for elite players is actually quite small. It means that the big fish like Manchester United and Manchester City end up competing for the same players inside a relatively small pond.

Such a scenario could be set to play out this summer, with The Times reporting that both Manchester clubs are interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Barca are reportedly open to selling the former Ajax man if £60million is offered.

City are looking for a successor to Fernandinho in the middle of the pitch, while United are attracted to the 24-year-old due to his experience of working under Erik ten Hag at his former club Ajax. It remains to be seen whether either club steps up their pursuits this summer, but if they both chase De Jong it wouldn’t be the first time the two rivals have gone head-to-head in the transfer market. has taken a look at seven other examples.

Bailly joined United from Villarreal for a fee in the region of £30m back in June 2016. The Ivory Coast centre-back was the first signing of the Jose Mourinho era at Old Trafford – but he could have opted for the sky blue half of the city.

Bailly later revealed that he spoke to his compatriots Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, who gave their recommendations, before opting to join Mourinho’s project. "I prefer Mourinho, in part because of Didier Drogba, who Mourinho worked with," Bailly said at the time.

"I have played with Didier in the Ivory Coast, he is a friend and he told me, 'Jose did this for me, Jose did that for me'. Yaya also called me